Meanings
1
counter for buildings (esp. houses)
Used to count houses, shops, and other buildings. Often follows a number or quantifier.
Ten houses line this street.
A new shop has opened on that corner.
2
suffix for pen names, stage names, etc.
Attached to a name to indicate a professional or artistic alias. Common in historical or literary contexts.
He is known by the pen name 'Ichiyō'.
The ukiyo-e artist used the name 'Utamaro'.
Usage patterns
- 〈数〉軒counting a number of buildings, houses, or shops
There are three bookstores in this town.
- 軒を連ねるfor shops or houses to stand in a row
Small shops line up one after another along the shopping street.
Expressions
- 二軒建てduplex; two-family house