ryokan

[ ree-oh-kahn; Japanese ryaw-kahn ]

noun

, plural ryo·kan, ryo·kans.

1. a traditional Japanese inn or small hotel whose floors are covered with tatami.

ryokan

/ rɪˈəʊkən /

noun

1. a traditional Japanese inn

Word History and Origins

Origin of ryokan¹

Borrowed into English from Japanese around 1960–65

Word History and Origins

Origin of ryokan¹

Japanese

Example Sentences

Guests at a traditional ryokan inn run by the Adachi family are fed salted, grilled ayu, but it is supplied by a local fishmonger.

From Reuters

For breakfast and dinner, many pilgrims take advantage of home-cooked meals provided by most minshuku, or family-operated bed-and-breakfasts, and ryokan, traditional Japanese inns.

From New York Times

“I can’t say I’m not concerned,” said Masami Shibata of Abe Ryokan, one of Yuzawa’s hot spring inns.

From New York Times

"I'm hoping and anticipating that a lot of foreigners will come to Japan, just like before COVID," said Sawa, the third-generation owner of the Sawanoya ryokan in Tokyo.

From Reuters

Lovers of architecture may want to pack their bags for this hot spring ryokan designed by Kengo Kuma, renowned for buildings such as the Suntory Museum of Art and the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.

From New York Times