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tokonoma

American  
[toh-kuh-noh-muh] / ˌtoʊ kəˈnoʊ mə /

noun

  1. (in Japanese architecture) a shallow alcove for the display of kakemonos or flower arrangements.


Etymology

Origin of tokonoma

1895–1900; < Japanese, equivalent to toko (raised) floor + -no grammatical particle + ma room

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Set in a garden among plum and kiwi trees, the cottage has traditional tatami mats, shoji-paper and fusuma sliding doors, chunky wooden cabinets and tokonoma alcoves.

From Seattle Times Apr. 18, 2023

The third wall, a solid one of smoke-blue plaster, held the niche called "tokonoma," where pictures are hung and flower vases set.

From The Dragon Painter by Mary McNeil Fenollosa

Nothing broke the sameness of these rooms except the double alcove, or tokonoma with its inevitable hanging picture, its inevitable ornament, and its spray of blossom.

From Kimono by John Paris

In her tokonoma she had just hung up a Japanese painting representing a moonlight scene.

From Lafcadio Hearn by Nina H. Kennard

In this second tokonoma was a pearl-grey vase, and that was all.

From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling

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