Meaning
The kanji 窓 means window — the everyday opening in a wall that lets in light, air, and a view of the outside world. Describing a room, chatting about a train commute, or asking for help at a 窓口 (まどぐち) service counter — this kanji turns up constantly in daily life.
Etymologically, 窓 combines two components. The upper part is 穴 (あな), the radical meaning hole or cave, evoking an opening in a structure. The lower part is 囱, an older Chinese character for a chimney or skylight — a hole in the roof designed to let smoke out and light in. Together they form the image of a purposeful gap: an opening that connects inside with outside.
窓 has 11 strokes and is taught in Grade 6 of Japanese elementary school. Its radical is 穴 (hole), grouping it with kanji for openings and hollow spaces. Grade 6 on paper, but it comes up often enough that N3 learners should feel completely at home with it.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
窓's on'yomi is ソウ (sou), drawn from Chinese. It rarely stands alone in conversation but appears in several compound words worth knowing — particularly ones with a formal or literary feel.
- 同窓 (dousou) — literally same window, meaning alumni or classmates from the same school
- 同窓会 (dousoukai) — alumni association or school reunion
- 車窓 (shasou) — the window of a train or car, often used with a poetic nuance in travel writing
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
まど (mado) is the native Japanese reading and by far the more common one. Use it when talking about opening a window, choosing a window seat, or describing where someone is sitting. It pairs naturally into a wide range of everyday compounds.
- 窓 (mado) — window (standalone, extremely common)
- 窓口 (madoguchi) — ticket window, service counter, or point of contact
- 窓際 (madogiwa) — by the window; also a workplace term for employees given a desk near the window with no real responsibilities
Common Words & Compounds
窓 turns up across home life, travel, and the office. Here are the compounds you're most likely to need:
Everyday & Home
- 窓 (mado) — window
- 窓枠 (madowaku) — window frame
- 出窓 (demado) — bay window; a window that protrudes outward from the wall
- 天窓 (tenmado) — skylight; a window set into the ceiling or roof
- 小窓 (komado) — small window; a porthole-style opening
Transport & Service
- 車窓 (shasou) — train or car window (poetic/formal nuance, common in travel writing)
- 窓口 (madoguchi) — service window or counter (bank, station, government office)
- 窓側 (madogawa) — window side; the seat next to the window on a plane, train, or bus
School & Social
- 同窓 (dousou) — alumni; people who graduated from the same school
- 同窓会 (dousoukai) — class reunion; alumni gathering
Workplace
- 窓際族 (madogiwa-zoku) — literally window-side tribe; employees sidelined in their company, given a desk near the window with little to do
Example Sentences
窓を開けてもいいですか。
Mado wo akete mo ii desu ka.
Is it okay if I open the window?
窓から富士山が見えます。
Mado kara Fujisan ga miemasu.
You can see Mount Fuji from the window.
新幹線の窓側の席を予約しました。
Shinkansen no madogawa no seki wo yoyaku shimashita.
I reserved a window seat on the Shinkansen.
駅の窓口で切符を買いました。
Eki no madoguchi de kippu wo kaimashita.
I bought a ticket at the station window.
彼女は窓際に座って、外を眺めていた。
Kanojo wa madogiwa ni suwatte, soto wo nagamete ita.
She was sitting by the window, gazing outside.
夜、窓から星がきれいに見えた。
Yoru, mado kara hoshi ga kirei ni mieta.
At night, the stars looked beautiful through the window.
台風が来る前に窓を閉めてください。
Taifuu ga kuru mae ni mado wo shimete kudasai.
Please close the windows before the typhoon arrives.
同窓会で昔の友達にたくさん会えた。
Dousoukai de mukashi no tomodachi ni takusan aeta.
I was able to meet many old friends at the class reunion.
車窓から流れる景色を眺めながら、旅の気分を楽しんだ。
Shasou kara nagareru keshiki wo nagamenagara, tabi no kibun wo tanoshinda.
Gazing at the scenery flowing past the train window, I savored the feeling of being on a journey.
Memory Tip
Picture a cave (穴) carved into a hillside. The people inside cut a hole in the roof — a chimney (囱) — to let smoke out and light in. That smoke hole is the ancestor of 窓. To lock in the reading まど, imagine someone calling out: "Ma, do open the window!" — Ma-do. Picture that ancient chimney hole, trace it forward to a glass-paned apartment window, and the kanji clicks into place. Tilt your head and 窓 even looks like a little house with a gap at the top.