脚きゃ立たつ

きゃ

た

つ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

stepladder; steps

A portable, self-supporting ladder with flat steps, commonly used for household tasks like changing light bulbs or reaching high shelves.

電でん球きゅうを交こう換かんするために脚きゃ立たつを使つかった。
I used a stepladder to change the light bulb.
脚きゃ立たつを広ひろげて、棚たなの上うえの荷に物もつを取とった。
I opened the stepladder and took down the items from the top shelf.

Kanji

脚skids, leg, undercarriage
立stand up, rise, set up
榻chair

Related words

はしごN2
脚立 is a free-standing stepladder that can stand on its own, while 梯子 is the more general word for a ladder that usually needs to lean against something.

Don't confuse with

繰くり出だし梯子はしご
脚立 is a self-supporting stepladder that does not extend, unlike the telescoping 繰り出し梯子.

Written forms

脚きゃ立たつUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling for a stepladder.
きゃたつUsage4%
脚榻きゃたつ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 榻 is an uncommon character for a low platform or couch.
キャタツ
Katakana spelling sometimes seen in informal writing or product descriptions.

Etymology

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.