stepladder; steps
A portable, self-supporting ladder with flat steps, commonly used for household tasks like changing light bulbs or reaching high shelves.
I used a stepladder to change the light bulb.
I opened the stepladder and took down the items from the top shelf.
脚立 is a self-supporting stepladder that does not extend, unlike the telescoping 繰り出し梯子.
Standard kanji spelling for a stepladder.
Rarely used kanji form; 榻 is an uncommon character for a low platform or couch.
Katakana spelling sometimes seen in informal writing or product descriptions.
The reading きゃたつ is a phonetic shift from 脚榻 (きゃくとう), where 榻 means a low platform or stool. The kanji 脚立 is a later variant using 立 (stand) to reflect the self-supporting nature of the ladder.