Vocabulary revision/ Warmer
Choose one the words below that you know and explain its meaning etc until your partner guesses which one it is.
| (student) halls/ dorm(itory) | accommodation | affordable | almost always |
| apartment/ flat | armchair | awful | B&B/ bed and breakfast |
| bathtub | brick | bungalow | candle |
| carport | cellar/ basement | central heating | condominium/ condo |
| congestion | cottage | detached (house) | double glazing |
| exorbitant/ pricey | fall apart | flood/ flooding | fluorescent strip |
| frantic/ chaos | green spaces | hedge/ bush | ivy |
| lack | loft/ attic | mansion | mellow |
| memorable | mock | mortgage | mugging |
| multicultural | notorious | outstanding | poverty |
| ramshackle | riot | semi-detached (house) | shower cubicle |
| shutter | suburb(s) | terraced (house) | thatched (roof) |
| varied/ diverse | wardrobe/ closet |
Useful language for definitions
Match useful phrases for defining things below
I’m not sure but where
It’s similar who…
It’s a kind of/ sort of/ I think it’s…
It’s a person to …
It’s stuff/ a thing that/ which…
It’s a place type of…
It’s a time of…
It means…
It’s the opposite is…
An example when…
It has two meanings – … and …
It’s a positive/ negative for…
It’s a noun/ verb/ adjective adverb.
It’s (British) English word.
Describing Japanese houses and architecture
Work together to explain the Japanese architectural terms below.
Amado
Apaato
Butsudan/ Kamidana
Byoubu
Chabudai
Fusuma
Futon
Genkan
Getabako
Hoshounin
Ikebana
Koban
Kotatsu
Kura
Machiya
Manshon
Oshiire
Reikin
Ryokan/ Minshuku
Sentou
Shichirin
Shouji
Tansu
Tatami
Tokonoma
Torii
Unit bath
Washitsu
Washlette
Youshitsu
Zabuton
| Useful language Made of bamboo/ reeds/ straw/ earth/ pottery Used to../ for… Similar to…/ Like… You slide/ fold/ store it. Square/ rectangle/ triangle/ oval/ circle Big/ little/ medium-sized Traditional/ New/ Modern/ Old-fashioned |
Match some of those terms to the descriptions from Wikipedia on the next page.
This is a shrine commonly found in temples and homes in Japanese Buddhist cultures. It is a wooden cabinet with doors that enclose and protect a religious icon, typically a statue or painting of a Buddha
This literally means “wind wall” and are Japanese folding screens made from several joined panels bearing decorative painting and calligraphy, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses.
This is a short-legged table used in traditional Japanese homes. People seated at it may sit on zabuton or tatami rather than on chairs. The four legs are generally collapsible so that it may be moved and stored easily.
These are vertical rectangular panels which can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room, or act as doors. They typically measure about 90 centimetres (3.0 ft) wide by 180 centimetres (5.9 ft) tall, the same size as a tatami mat, and are two or three centimeters thick.
Padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom.
Traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat. The primary function is for the removal of shoes before entering the main part of the house or building. They are often recessed into the floor, to contain any dirt that is tracked in from the outside.
A Japanese shoe cupboard, usually situated in the genkan, an entryway or porch of the house.
Literally “living flowers”, it is the Japanese art of flower arrangement.
A low, wooden table frame covered by a heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself.
Traditional wooden townhouses found throughout Japan, most typically in the historical capital of Kyoto.
A type of traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period (1603–1868), when such inns served travelers along Japan’s highways. They typically feature tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner.
A type of Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance.
A lightweight, compact, and easy-to-move charcoal grill.
A door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo. They are often designed to slide open, and thus conserve space that would be required by a swinging door.
A type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core (though nowadays sometimes the core is composed of compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam), with a covering of woven soft rush straw, they are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width.
A built-in recessed space in a Japanese style reception room, in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed, in English usually called an alcove. The items usually displayed there are calligraphic and/or pictorial scrolls and an arrangement of flowers.
A traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine.
A Japanese cushion for sitting, usually on the floor. A typical one measures 50–70 cm (20–30 inches) on a side and is several centimetres thick when new.
What topics are covered above?
Underline useful phrases for describing architecture more generally above.
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PDF for easy saving and printing: defining architecture vocabulary
Related pages
TEFLtastic 
I like this activity very much. Will try it out with my course of achitects.