Definitions

lóu (noun) building with multiple floors; tall building
lóu (noun) floor; story (of a building)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 楼, traditional form 樓, uses the wood radical 木 on the left as a semantic component, indicating its origin as a timber-built structure. The right side, 婁, serves as the phonetic element. Originally, it referred to a specific multi-story wooden building like a watchtower or belvedere. Over time, its meaning expanded to include any multi-story building as a whole, as well as individual floors or levels within such structures. In modern usage, 楼 commonly denotes the stories of contemporary buildings, including skyscrapers made of concrete and steel.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我家住在上。

Wǒ jiā zhù zài lóu shàng.

My home is upstairs.

学校有一座新

Xuéxiào yǒu yī zuò xīn lóu.

The school has a new building.

我们每天爬梯。

Wǒmen měi tiān pá lóutī.

We climb stairs every day.

大厦在城市里。

Gāolóu dàshà zài chéngshì lǐ.

Tall buildings are in the city.

这栋的电梯坏了。

Zhè dòng lóu de diàntī huài le.

The elevator in this building is broken.

图书馆在的那一边。

Túshūguǎn zài lóu de nà yībiān.

The library is on the other side of the building.

他负责管理这整座

Tā fùzé guǎnlǐ zhè zhěng zuò lóu.

He is responsible for managing this entire building.

现代办公的设计很先进。

Xiàndài bàngōnglóu de shèjì hěn xiānjìn.

The design of modern office buildings is very advanced.