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
Fushimi is home to the popular climbing torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine, but most tourists only make it that far.
—
Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
Another pro tip: The center of the path under a torii is reserved for deities, so stand to the left or right when taking pictures.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2025
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
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Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
Another pro tip: The center of the path under a torii is reserved for deities, so stand to the left or right when taking pictures.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Torii.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torii. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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