pent roof; skirt roof
Architectural term for a secondary roof or eave below the main roof, common in pagodas and temple buildings. The reading もこし is standard; しょうかい is a less common Sino-Japanese reading.
The pent roof of the five-story pagoda adds a beautiful visual accent.
このお寺の本堂には裳階が付いている。
The main hall of this temple has a skirt roof.
Standard kanji form for this architectural term.
Alternate kanji form; less common than 裳階.
裳 means 'skirt' and 階 means 'story/floor', referring to a skirt-like additional roof. The reading もこし is the standard Japanese reading; しょうかい is a Sino-Japanese reading.