室 — Room, Chamber

Meaning

The kanji 室 means room or chamber — an enclosed space within a building set aside for a specific purpose or for habitation. It appears in dozens of everyday compound words describing rooms found in homes, schools, offices, and public buildings.

Etymologically, 室 is a semantic compound (会意文字). The radical 宀 (ukanmuri) represents a roof or house, while the lower component 至 means "to arrive" or "to reach." Together they suggest a place under a roof where one arrives and settles — an inner room or the innermost part of a dwelling. In classical Chinese, 室 referred specifically to the main private chamber of a traditional home, distinct from the outer reception halls.

In Japanese, the meaning expanded to cover any enclosed room: bedrooms, classrooms, conference rooms, laboratories, and more. The character has 9 strokes and is taught in Grade 2 of elementary school. Its radical 宀 (roof) also appears in 家 (house), 宿 (lodging), and 安 (peaceful).

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

The on'yomi reading is シツ (shitsu). This is by far the more common reading and appears in nearly all compound words. It derives from the Middle Chinese pronunciation adopted alongside the character itself.

教室きょうしつ (kyōshitsu) — classroom
寝室しんしつ (shinshitsu) — bedroom
会議室かいぎしつ (kaigishitsu) — conference room
浴室よくしつ (yokushitsu) — bathroom, bathing room
待合室まちあいしつ (machiaishitsu) — waiting room

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

The kun'yomi reading is むろ (muro). It is much rarer in daily use and appears mainly in historical, traditional, or specialized contexts. Muro originally referred to a cool underground chamber used for storage — a root cellar or ice house. You may encounter it in place names, traditional food storage terms, or classical literature.

室むろ (muro) — underground storage room, cellar (standalone usage)
氷室ひむろ (himuro) — ice storage room (historical term)
室咲きむろざき (murozaki) — flowers bloomed in a forcing room (horticultural term)

Common Words & Compounds

室 combines freely with other kanji to name rooms across almost every setting. The words below are grouped by theme and are typical N4-level vocabulary.

School & Work

教室きょうしつ (kyōshitsu) — classroom
会議室かいぎしつ (kaigishitsu) — conference room, meeting room
研究室けんきゅうしつ (kenkyūshitsu) — research laboratory, professor's office
事務室じむしつ (jimushitsu) — office, administrative room

Home & Living

寝室しんしつ (shinshitsu) — bedroom
浴室よくしつ (yokushitsu) — bathroom, bathing room
和室わしつ (washitsu) — Japanese-style room (tatami room)
洋室ようしつ (yōshitsu) — Western-style room
個室こしつ (koshitsu) — private room

Public & Special Spaces

待合室まちあいしつ (machiaishitsu) — waiting room
地下室ちかしつ (chikashitsu) — basement, underground room
温室おんしつ (onshitsu) — greenhouse
暗室あんしつ (anshitsu) — darkroom (photography)
病室びょうしつ (byōshitsu) — hospital room, sickroom

Room Properties & Context

室内しつない (shitsunai) — indoors, inside the room
室外しつがい (shitsugai) — outdoors, outside the room
室温しつおん (shitsuon) — room temperature
王室おうしつ (ōshitsu) — royal family, royal household

Example Sentences

毎日まいにち、教室きょうしつで日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしています。

Mainichi, kyōshitsu de nihongo wo benkyō shite imasu.

I study Japanese in the classroom every day.

寝室しんしつの窓まどを開あけてください。

Shinshitsu no mado wo akete kudasai.

Please open the bedroom window.

このホテルほてるには和室わしつと洋室ようしつがあります。

Kono hoteru ni wa washitsu to yōshitsu ga arimasu.

This hotel has both Japanese-style and Western-style rooms.

病院びょういんの待合室まちあいしつで本ほんを読よんでいました。

Byōin no machiaishitsu de hon wo yonde imashita.

I was reading a book in the hospital waiting room.

室温しつおんは何度なんどですか。

Shitsuon wa nando desu ka.

What is the room temperature?

地下室ちかしつは夏なつでも涼すずしいです。

Chikashitsu wa natsu demo suzushii desu.

The basement is cool even in summer.

温室おんしつでは熱帯植物ねったいしょくぶつを育そだてています。

Onshitsu de wa nettai shokubutsu wo sodatete imasu.

They are growing tropical plants in the greenhouse.

先生せんせいの研究室けんきゅうしつに伺うかがってもよろしいですか。

Sensei no kenkyūshitsu ni ukagatte mo yoroshii desu ka.

Would it be alright for me to visit your research office, Professor?

室内しつないでは禁煙きんえんです。

Shitsunai de wa kin'en desu.

Smoking is prohibited indoors.

Related Kanji

屋 — Roof, Room, Shop (Kanji N4)
病 — Sickness, Illness, Disease (Kanji N4)
便 — Convenience, Facility, Communication (Kanji N4)
飯 — Meal, Cooked Rice, Food (Kanji N4)
族 — Tribe, Clan, Family Group (Kanji N4)
地 — Ground, Earth, Land (Kanji N4)

Memory Tip

Picture 室 as a small visual story: 宀 is a slanted roof, and beneath it sits 至, meaning "to arrive." Think of coming home after a long journey — you step through the door, duck under that roof, and finally arrive in your room. That moment of settling in is exactly what 室 captures. The Hán-Việt reading THẤT works as an extra anchor — it sounds firm and contained, like a room with four walls around you.