かべ
Alternative readings: へき
JLPT:N4
Frequency:

1A wall or partition — the vertical structure that encloses or divides a building or room (interior wall, exterior wall, etc.).

Noun

Examples

絵を掛けるためにリビングの壁にフックを付けた。

I put a hook on the living-room wall to hang a picture.

隣の部屋との間に薄い壁があるだけだ。

There is only a thin wall between the adjacent rooms.

外壁のひび割れを補修してもらった。

I had the cracks in the exterior wall repaired.

2Figuratively, a barrier or obstacle that hinders progress, as in "言語の壁" (language barrier) or "心の壁" (an emotional wall).

Noun

Examples

新しい仕事でまず言語の壁を乗り越える必要がある。

In the new job, I first need to overcome the language barrier.

創業には資金という壁が立ちはだかることが多い。

Starting a business is often blocked by the barrier of funding.

二人の間には長い間、心の壁があった。

For a long time there was an emotional wall between the two of them.

3"Wall," one of the 28 lunar mansions in traditional Chinese astronomy, read へき. A specialized term almost never used in modern speech.

NounAstronomy

Examples

古代の星図には壁(へき)という星宿が記されている。

Ancient star charts record a lunar mansion called 'Wall' (heki).