図書館
Meaning in Englishlibrary
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
図書館 (toshokan) means "library"; it denotes an institution or facility that collects, organizes, preserves and lends books, periodicals and other media while providing study spaces, reference help and public services for users of all ages.
Main meanings
- Public municipal or community libraries serving general readers and offering lending and programming.
- School and university libraries focused on curricular support and academic research collections.
- Specialized libraries or department collections within museums, companies or research institutes.
- Digital or virtual libraries referring to electronic collections and online repositories.
- Metaphorical use for any organized collection of resources (e.g., a "library" of software or media assets).
How to use it
Used in signage, conversation and official names to indicate places that lend books and offer reading/study facilities; appears in formal contexts (institution names, policy, library websites) and everyday contexts (asking for directions, saying where you study), and applies to public, academic and private institutional libraries with slightly different expectations about services and etiquette.
Variants and close terms
- 図書室 (としょしつ, toshoshitsu) — book room; typically smaller, closed or in-school collections.
- 書庫 (しょこ, shoko) — stacks or archive storage for less-accessible holdings.
- 公立図書館 (こうりつとしょかん, kouritsu toshokan) — public (municipal) library.
- 大学図書館 (だいがくとしょかん, daigaku toshokan) — university library.
- 書店 (しょてん, shoten) — bookstore (functional antonym focused on sales rather than lending).
Composition
- 図 (to) — diagram, plan, or picture; here it contributes the sense of organized collection.
- 書 (sho) — book or writing; denotes the material being collected.
- 館 (kan) — large building, hall, or public facility; marks the word as an institutional place.
- Together they form the compound meaning "a building/institution for books," i.e., a library.
Origin
The modern Japanese concept of public and institutional libraries was shaped in the Meiji era (late 19th century) under Western influence, with municipal and university libraries spreading through the Taishō and early Shōwa periods and expanding significantly after World War II as public education and municipal services developed.
Word class
noun (名詞)