床とこの間ま

と

こ

の

ま

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

tokonoma; alcove for displaying art or flowers

A raised alcove in a traditional Japanese room, used to display a hanging scroll, flower arrangement, or other decorative items. The term is well-known in Japanese culture and often left untranslated.

床とこの間まに掛かけ軸じくが飾かざってある。
A hanging scroll is displayed in the tokonoma.

お客きゃく様さまを床とこの間まの前まえの上かみ座ざに案あん内ないした。

I guided the guest to the seat of honor in front of the tokonoma.

Usage patterns

床とこの間まに〈物もの〉をかけるto hang something (e.g. a scroll) in the tokonoma
床とこの間まに掛かけ軸じくをかけた。
I hung a scroll in the tokonoma.
床とこの間まに〈物もの〉を飾かざるto display something (e.g. flowers, art) in the tokonoma
床とこの間まに生いけ花ばなを飾かざった。
I displayed a flower arrangement in the tokonoma.
床とこの間まのある〈場ば所しょ〉a room/house that has a tokonoma
床とこの間まのある和わ室しつに泊とまった。
We stayed in a Japanese-style room that had a tokonoma.

Kanji

床bed, counter for beds, floor
間interval, space

Don't confuse with

床とこ脇わき
床の間 is the alcove itself for displaying art, while 床脇 is the adjoining space that often holds shelves and a cabinet.
違ちがい棚だな
床の間 is the alcove itself, whereas 違い棚 is the staggered shelving unit often built beside it, not the alcove.
床とこN1
床の間 is the full word for the decorative alcove in a Japanese room; 床 alone is just its shortened form and can also mean bed or riverbed in other contexts, so context is needed to tell them apart.

Built from

床とこ+間ま

Written forms

床とこの間まUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling; the word is almost always written this way.
トコノマUsage<1%

Etymology

Compound of 床 (とこ, raised floor or alcove) and 間 (ま, space). The word refers to the specific architectural feature that evolved from a raised seating area in medieval Japanese homes.