KanjiJLPT N1
Dormitory

dormitory, hostel, villa, tea pavillion

Mnemonic

Under this roof, dozens of students share cramped rooms. At 3 AM, smoke billows from the communal kitchen — someone burnt their instant ramen again. Where there's smoke rising under a shared roof, you know you're living in a dormitory.
Additional thoughts
Picture a crowded college building: one big roof sheltering many rooms, smoke constantly drifting from late-night cooking disasters. Roof + Smoke = chaotic communal living = Dormitory.
Quick recall
Smoke drifts under one shared roof — that's dormitory life.

Details

The keyword for 寮 is dormitory. This kanji refers to a shared residential facility, typically one where students, workers, or other groups live together under one roof. It is commonly associated with university housing or company-provided living quarters in Japan, where communal living arrangements have a long cultural tradition. The character conveys the idea of a managed, collective dwelling place rather than a private home.
On'yomi
りょう

Used in vocab