Engawa (縁側), or simply en (縁), is a strip of wooden or bamboo flooring that surrounds the outside of a building. It closely resembles a veranda in Western architecture.

— Nature

The engawa usually faces a garden or courtyard. They are designing in such a way to allow people to sit on the edge and observe whatever area it is facing.

The engawa is not considered to be a part of the outside, however. Because of this, shoes are not worn on it. Instead, they are left out, ususally on a stone.

The ground under an engawa is sloped to allow water to be carried away to a drain just outside the porch.

— Positional Types

There are three different types of en depending on their position around a building:

Ⓐ Hiro-en (広縁), the innermost porch, often enclosed within the amado.

Ⓑ Ochi-en (落縁), the center porch a step down from the hiro-en, often enclosed within the amado.

Ⓒ Nure-en (濡れ縁), the outermost porch a step down from the ochi-en. This layer or the veranda is not protected by the amado, as it protrudes from under the eaves of the roof.

Not all three layers may appear around a single building.

— Structural Types

・Kure-en (榑縁), engawa boards with long sides running down the length.

・Kirime-en (切目縁), engawa boards that run down the width with cross-cut ends exposed.

・Sunoko-en (簀子縁), engawa with a slatted floor to allow water drainage.

・Takesunoko-en (竹簀の子縁), a sunoko-en made from bamboo.