It seems that the expression “floor” in Japanese is a bit confusing.
How to ask a floor
When you want to ask the floor of a shop or your hotel room or your friend’s house, use a question word :
何階
nangai
which floor
for example,
本屋は何階ですか。
honya wa nangai desu ka.
On which floor is the book store?
わたしの部屋は何階ですか。
Watashi no heya wa nangai desu ka.
On which floor is my room?
Talk about the floor
When talking about the floor, the keyword is
階
floor
but it’s tricky because it has three names.
階
kai
kkai
gai
floor
*Its basic pronunciation is kai.
And the number changes the name as well.
Now, as we have seen, the question word for the floor is
何階
nan gai
which floor
and the rest is determined by the number of floors.
So,
3, 何 : gai
1, 6, 8 : kkai
2, 4, 5, 7, 9 : kai
And with the number (Note how the name of the number changes).
Tips
In Japan, the very 1st floor that you enter is １階 andthere is no ground floor.
And below the 1st floor is
地下１階
chika i kkai
the 1st basement floor
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