Translation guide
A building or space for storing goods, supplies, or valuables. Japanese has several words for storehouses, each with different historical, architectural, and functional nuances.
A sturdy, fireproof building for storing valuables, often with thick earthen walls.
The most common word for a traditional Japanese storehouse, often a separate building with thick plaster walls for fire protection. Used for storing valuables, rice, or goods.
この蔵は江戸時代に建てられました。
This storehouse was built in the Edo period.
蔵の中には古い家具が保管されている。
Old furniture is stored in the storehouse.
Often used interchangeably with 蔵, but can refer to a simpler warehouse or granary. In modern contexts, it may appear in compound words.
米倉にはたくさんの米が貯蔵されている。
A lot of rice is stored in the rice storehouse.
General term for a warehouse or storehouse, more modern and functional than 蔵. Used for commercial or industrial storage.
商品は倉庫に保管されています。
The goods are stored in the warehouse.
A large building for storing commercial goods, often part of logistics or trade.
The standard word for a warehouse in modern Japanese. Used in business, logistics, and everyday contexts.
新しい倉庫を郊外に建設する予定です。
We plan to build a new warehouse in the suburbs.
Specifically a distribution warehouse or logistics center.
この地域には大きな物流倉庫が集まっている。
Large distribution warehouses are concentrated in this area.
A storehouse designated for a particular type of goods, often with a traditional or historical feel.
A rice storehouse or granary. Common in historical or rural contexts.
村の米蔵は収穫した米でいっぱいだ。
The village rice storehouse is full of harvested rice.
A treasure storehouse or treasury, often for valuable artifacts or treasures.
A sake brewery or storehouse for sake. Often used to refer to the brewery itself.
A place where something is accumulated or stored in a non-physical sense, such as knowledge or memories.
Literally 'treasure house', used figuratively to mean a rich source or repository of something valuable (e.g., knowledge, natural resources).
この図書館は知識の宝庫です。
This library is a storehouse of knowledge.
この地域は温泉の宝庫として知られている。
This region is known as a storehouse of hot springs.
A storage repository, can be used literally or figuratively for accumulated things.
蔵 (kura) typically refers to a traditional, often fireproof storehouse with thick earthen walls, historically used for valuables. 倉 (kura) can be similar but may imply a simpler structure or granary. 倉庫 (sōko) is the modern, general term for any warehouse or storage building. In compounds, 蔵 and 倉 are often interchangeable, but 蔵 carries a more traditional nuance.
宝庫 (hōko) is very common in phrases like ～の宝庫 (a storehouse of ~) to describe a place rich in something. It's a natural way to express abundance metaphorically.
寺の宝物庫には貴重な仏像が安置されている。
Precious Buddhist statues are enshrined in the temple's treasure storehouse.
この酒蔵は300年の歴史があります。
This sake storehouse has a history of 300 years.
His brain is a storehouse of vast amounts of data.