建てる

たてる

to build

By Nihongo PathUpdated 17 September 2026

Examples

新しい家を建てました。
あたらしいいえをたてました。
We built a new house.
駅の前にビルを建てています。
えきのまえにビルをたてています。
They are putting up a building in front of the station.
いつか自分の家を建てたいと思っています。
いつかじぶんのいえをたてたいとおもっています。
Someday I'd like to build a house of my own.

Common patterns

家を建てる: to build a house
ビルを建てる: to put up a building
新しく建てる: to build anew

Often confused with

建つ vs 建てる建つ = a building goes up (が, no builder named). 建てる = someone builds it (を). Only for buildings — for standing up, that is 立つ.

Memory tip

Same sound as 立てる (to stand something up), but 建 is used only for buildings. Its intransitive partner is 建つ: 家を建てる (someone builds it) versus 家が建つ (a house goes up).

Kanji in this word

建buildケン・コン・た(てる)・た(つ)

Quick check

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What does 建てる mean?