Illustration of torii
plural torii
: a Japanese gateway of light construction commonly built at the approach to a Shinto shrine
Examples of torii in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The shrine buildings are hidden in the dense forest but are well advertised by its huge torii gates, with one standing prominently in the lake and the other two over the main street of Moto-Hakone.
—
John Clifford, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Guests entered the fourth Annual Cherry Blossom Festival on March 21 through a torii gate at the Hot Springs Convention Center surrounded by branches of tissue-paper cherry blossoms and to the sound of a taiko drummer.
—Cary Jenkins, Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2021
The Fushimi Inari Taisha is a meandering orange tunnel of torii gates that winds its way for miles through the forest of Mount Inari.
—Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2020
The list by JRPass includes gorgeous and iconic places in Japan, including Mount Fuji, Himeji Castle, the busy Shibuya Crossing, Hitachi Seaside Park, Tokyo Station, torii-gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and much more.
—Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2020
Midcentury prints by the Lithuanian-American social-realist artist Ben Shahn, another family friend, hang on nearly every wall in wooden frames made by Nakashima to resemble torii (Japanese temple gates).
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2020
The shrine’s famous torii gate, however, is undergoing renovations that began in June 2019.
—Jay Cannon, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2020
Visitors walk along winding paths and pass through towering torii gates before entering.
—Lindsay Cohn, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2020
En route to the shrine, meet a local Shugendo priest to learn firsthand about this ascetic Buddhist sect that focuses on the connections between humans and nature, and pass under the majestic Oyunohara torii (wooden gateway).
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
John Clifford, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Guests entered the fourth Annual Cherry Blossom Festival on March 21 through a torii gate at the Hot Springs Convention Center surrounded by branches of tissue-paper cherry blossoms and to the sound of a taiko drummer.
—Cary Jenkins, Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2021
The Fushimi Inari Taisha is a meandering orange tunnel of torii gates that winds its way for miles through the forest of Mount Inari.
—Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2020
The list by JRPass includes gorgeous and iconic places in Japan, including Mount Fuji, Himeji Castle, the busy Shibuya Crossing, Hitachi Seaside Park, Tokyo Station, torii-gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and much more.
—Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2020
Midcentury prints by the Lithuanian-American social-realist artist Ben Shahn, another family friend, hang on nearly every wall in wooden frames made by Nakashima to resemble torii (Japanese temple gates).
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2020
The shrine’s famous torii gate, however, is undergoing renovations that began in June 2019.
—Jay Cannon, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2020
Visitors walk along winding paths and pass through towering torii gates before entering.
—Lindsay Cohn, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2020
En route to the shrine, meet a local Shugendo priest to learn firsthand about this ascetic Buddhist sect that focuses on the connections between humans and nature, and pass under the majestic Oyunohara torii (wooden gateway).
—National Geographic, 12 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Torii.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torii. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share