楼
building (multi-story); floor
lóu
What does 楼 mean?
楼 (lóu) is a noun that covers both 'a multi-story building' and 'a floor/story within such a building.' Chinese collapses two English words into one — context tells you which. 那座楼 means 'that building'; 我住三楼 means 'I live on the third floor.' Two things trip up English speakers.
First, Chinese floor numbering follows the British system: 一楼 is the ground floor, 二楼 is what Americans call the second floor. Second, 楼 by itself usually implies a building taller than a single house — for a one-story house you would say 房子. Common compounds include 大楼 (large building, often office), 楼上 (upstairs), 楼下 (downstairs), and 楼梯 (stairs). Register is neutral and works in both spoken and written Chinese.
Character breakdown
multi-story building; floor (of a building)
Memory hook: The 木 (wood) radical on the left hints that early Chinese 楼 were timber-frame multi-story buildings.
Measure word for 楼
Example sentences
我家住在五楼。
Wǒ jiā zhù zài wǔ lóu.
My family lives on the fifth floor.
spoken
这座楼有二十层。
Zhè zuò lóu yǒu èrshí céng.
This building has twenty floors.
neutral
我在楼下等你。
Wǒ zài lóuxià děng nǐ.
I'll wait for you downstairs.
spoken
请问洗手间在几楼？
Qǐng wèn xǐshǒujiān zài jǐ lóu?
Excuse me, which floor is the restroom on?
polite
他们公司在那栋大楼里。
Tāmen gōngsī zài nà dòng dàlóu lǐ.
Their company is in that big building.
neutral
Common phrases with 楼
Synonyms
楼房 specifically means a multi-story residential building, contrasted with 平房 (single-story house). 楼 alone is more flexible and can also mean 'floor.'
大楼 means a large building, often an office tower or apartment block. 楼 is the general word; 大楼 emphasizes size and is the right word for skyscrapers.
Don't confuse 楼 with
层 is the measure word and the abstract word for 'layer/level.' 三层 = 'three layers/floors' (as a count). 三楼 = 'the third floor' (as a location). You go 上三楼 (up to floor 3), not 上三层.
房 means 'room' or 'house' in compounds (房间, 房子). 楼 means 'multi-story building' or 'floor of a building.' A 房子 can be a single-story house; a 楼 is taller.
FAQ
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