鳥居

とりい · torii · JLPT N1 · noun

arch

⛩️ 鳥 bird + 居 perch/dwell = a perch for birds at a shrine gate

Folk etymology: 居 means to dwell or stay, so the name suggests a place where birds rest. Its reading, torii, is just 鳥 (tori, bird) plus 居 (i, dwell).

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