A hatchway is an opening in the floor of a ship or building, usually covered by a door called a hatch, that allows people or cargo to move between different levels. On a ship, sailors climb through hatchways to go below deck, and supplies get lowered through them into the cargo hold. The opening needs a cover because otherwise you'd have a dangerous hole in the floor that someone could fall through.

Picture a pirate ship from an adventure story: when the crew needs to go down into the storage area below the main deck, they open a wooden hatch and climb down a ladder through the hatchway. Modern ships still use hatchways, though they're often made of metal now instead of wood.

Buildings can have hatchways too. Some old houses have them in the floor to access a cellar or basement, and warehouses use them to move goods between floors.