Translation guide
A vestibule is an entryway or small room just inside a building's entrance. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 玄関 (genkan), the traditional entrance area where shoes are removed. Other terms exist for specific architectural contexts.
The area just inside the front door where you take off shoes and step up into the home.
The standard Japanese entrance area, typically with a step up from the shoe-removal area to the interior floor. Used for houses and apartments.
玄関で靴を脱いでください。
Please take off your shoes at the entrance.
玄関が広い家は人気があります。
Houses with spacious entrances are popular.
Refers to the earthen or concrete floor area of a traditional entrance, often part of a genkan. More architectural and less common in daily conversation.
古い家の土間は広くて、作業場としても使われました。
The earthen floor area in old houses was spacious and also used as a workspace.
A larger entrance area in places like hotels, theaters, or office buildings.
Loanword from English 'lobby'. Commonly used for hotels, theaters, and office buildings. Implies a larger, often furnished space.
ホテルのロビーで待ち合わせましょう。
Let's meet in the hotel lobby.
劇場のロビーには大きなシャンデリアがあります。
There is a large chandelier in the theater lobby.
Loanword from English 'entrance'. Often used for stylish or modern building entrances, similar to 'lobby' but can emphasize the entry point itself.
Combines 'genkan' with 'hall'. Used for larger entrance halls in public buildings, but less common than ロビー.
式場の玄関ホールで受付を済ませてください。
Please complete reception at the entrance hall of the ceremony venue.
A small room or enclosed porch at an entrance to keep out cold or wind, often in colder climates.
Literally 'wind-blocking room'. A small enclosed entryway added to houses in cold regions to prevent drafts.
北海道の家には風除室が付いていることが多いです。
Houses in Hokkaido often have a vestibule.
Direct loanword from English 'vestibule'. Rarely used and may not be understood; only in very specific architectural contexts.
この建物のベスティビュールは装飾が美しい。
The vestibule of this building has beautiful decorations.
A small cavity or space at the entrance to a canal or organ.
Medical term for 'vestibule', used for the vestibule of the ear, nose, or larynx.
内耳の前庭は平衡感覚に関係しています。
The vestibule of the inner ear is involved in the sense of balance.
Specifically the nasal vestibule. Used in medical contexts.
鼻腔前庭に炎症が起きると痛みを感じます。
Inflammation in the nasal vestibule causes pain.
玄関 is specifically the traditional Japanese entrance with a step for shoe removal, found in homes and some traditional buildings. ロビー is a lobby, typically a larger furnished waiting area in hotels or theaters. エントランス is a more modern, stylish entrance area, often used for commercial buildings. For a house, always use 玄関.
家の玄関は狭いですが、ホテルのロビーは広いです。
The entrance of the house is small, but the hotel lobby is spacious.
The direct loanword ベスティビュール is extremely rare and will not be understood by most Japanese speakers. Use 玄関, ロビー, or 風除室 depending on context.
The entrance of the new office building is glass-walled.