Discover 塔 in words for pagodas and towers, and connect each reading to a complete word.

The idea

塔 has 12 strokes and the on-reading とう. Follow the linked stroke diagram. 塔（とう） is a tower or pagoda; 五重塔（ごじゅうのとう） is a five-story pagoda, and 管制塔（かんせいとう） is a control tower.

Patterns to compare
WordReadingExample in context
塔とうThere is an old pagoda at this temple.
五重塔ごじゅうのとうWe saw a five-story pagoda in Kyoto.
管制塔かんせいとうThe control tower gives instructions to aircraft.
灯台とうだいThe lighthouse shines at night.

Examples

  • この寺てらには古ふるい塔とうがあります。There is an old pagoda at this temple.
  • 京都きょうとで五重塔ごじゅうのとうを見みました。We saw a five-story pagoda in Kyoto.
  • その塔とうは駅えきから見みえます。The tower can be seen from the station.
  • 灯台とうだいは夜よるに光ひかります。The lighthouse shines at night.
  • 管制塔かんせいとうは航空機こうくうきに指示しじを出だします。The control tower gives instructions to aircraft.
  • 私わたしたちは塔とうの上うえまで登のぼりました。We climbed to the top of the tower.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not read every 塔 compound mechanically: 五重塔 includes の before とう. 灯台 means lighthouse but is written with 台, not 塔.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 塔 in hiragana.

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    とう

    塔 is とう; it can refer to a tower or pagoda.

  2. Write the reading of 五重塔 in hiragana.

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    ごじゅうのとう

    五重塔 is ごじゅうのとう; remember the の between 重 and 塔.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 管制＿（かんせいとう）［塔／搭］.

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    塔

    塔 completes 管制塔, かんせいとう, a control tower. 搭 is a different character.

Use it today

Write 塔 using the stroke diagram, then cover the readings and read 五重塔 and 管制塔 aloud. Make a sentence about a tower.