Translation guide
The English word 'stack' can refer to a neat pile of objects, a large quantity, or a data structure. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
To refer to a stack of items like books, papers, plates, etc., arranged one on top of another.
A general noun for a stack or pile, emphasizing the act of stacking. Often used with counters.
机の上に本の積み重ねがある。
There is a stack of books on the desk.
Literally 'mountain', used colloquially for a pile or stack, often implying a large amount.
書類の山を片付けないと。
I have to deal with this stack of documents.
A bundle or stack, often used for flat items like paper money, bills, or papers tied together.
彼は札束を取り出した。
He pulled out a stack of bills.
To express that there is a lot of something, often in a figurative sense.
The most common way to say 'a lot' or 'many'. Can be used for stacks of things.
やることがたくさんある。
I have a stack of things to do.
Literally 'as much as a mountain', meaning a huge stack or pile. More emphatic than たくさん.
To refer to the stack data structure in programming.
The loanword for 'stack' in computing contexts. Universally understood in tech.
スタックにデータをプッシュする。
Push data onto the stack.
To refer to a tall chimney or smokestack.
The standard word for chimney or smokestack.
工場の煙突から煙が出ている。
Smoke is coming out of the factory stack.
To refer to a stack of hay or straw, often in a rural setting.
Literally 'mountain of dried grass'. Used for haystacks.
畑に干し草の山がある。
There is a haystack in the field.
I have a stack of homework.