genkan

G2E1N1K5A1N1
[ˈɡɛŋkɑn]

noun

The entryway to a Japanese house, where street shoes are removed and houseshoes put on before entering the house, and houseshoes removed and street shoes put on before leaving the house.

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Meanings

noungenkan (plural genkans or genkan)

plural genkans

  1. The entryway to a Japanese house, where street shoes are removed and houseshoes put on before entering the house, and houseshoes removed and street shoes put on before leaving the house.

Origin

From Japanese 玄関(げんかん) (genkan), from Middle Chinese 玄關 (MC hwen kwaen, literally “front door”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

enkang
Cite this entry
APA

genkan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genkan

MLA

“genkan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genkan. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “genkan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genkan.

Source: genkan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.