Standard Lemma guide

torii

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈtoɹi/
  • UK: /ˈtɔːɹi/
  • rhymes with -ɔːɹi

1

noun

Meaning 1

A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: Shinto, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tori gate

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

plural of torus

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, misspelling, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Japanese 鳥居 (torii, literally “bird abode”).

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 鳥居 /鸟居 (niǎojū) — traditional shrine gate
  • French: torii — traditional shrine gate
  • German: Torii — traditional shrine gate
  • Japanese: 鳥居 (torii) — traditional shrine gate
  • Marathi: तोरीइ (torīi) — traditional shrine gate
  • Polish: torii — traditional shrine gate
  • Portuguese: torii — traditional shrine gate
  • Russian: тории (torii) — traditional shrine gate
  • Spanish: torii — traditional shrine gate
  • Thai: โทริอิ — traditional shrine gate
  • Ukrainian: торії (toriji) — traditional shrine gate