Home & Living

家いえに帰るかえると、まず手てを洗いあらいます。

When I get home, the first thing I do is wash my hands.

Usage 家 reads いえ for the building and うち for your own home as a place you belong. うちの会社 even means 'my company'.

Remember it 家 = 宀 (a roof) over 豕 (a pig). Livestock kept under the roof — an old idea of a household.

部屋へやの窓まどを開けてあけて換気かんきしました。

I opened the window of the room to air it out.

Usage Rooms are counted with 部屋 or with 間 (ま) in flat listings: 2LDK means two rooms plus living, dining and kitchen. 換気 (かんき) = ventilation.

Remember it 部 (a section) + 屋 (a roof, a building). A sectioned-off part of the building.

台所だいどころで夕食ゆうしょくの準備じゅんびをしています。

I'm preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Usage 台所 is the traditional word; キッチン is the modern loanword and sounds more contemporary in property listings. Both are used daily.

Remember it 台 (a stand, a counter) + 所 (place). The place with the work counter.

浴室よくしつを毎日まいにちきれいにきれいに掃除そうじしています。

I clean the bathroom thoroughly every day.

Usage Important cultural difference: in Japan the bath room and the toilet are usually separate rooms. 浴室 or お風呂 is for bathing only, never for the toilet.

Remember it 浴 (to bathe) + 室 (room). The bathing room — and only that.

すみません、トイレはどこですか。

Excuse me, where is the toilet?

Usage Ask for トイレ or the politer お手洗い (おてあらい). Do not ask for the 'bathroom' — 浴室 is where you bathe, and asking for it will confuse people.

Remember it Clipped from English 'toilet', three mora: と-い-れ.

寝室しんしつのカーテンを閉めてしめて眠りねむりにつきました。

I closed the bedroom curtains and fell asleep.

Usage 眠りにつく = to fall asleep, a slightly literary set phrase. The same 室 as 教室, 会議室, 浴室.

Remember it 寝 (to sleep) + 室 (room). The sleeping room.

居間いまで家族かぞくみんなでテレビてれびを見みました。

The whole family watched television in the living room.

Usage 居間 is the traditional word; リビング is what property adverts use. Note the reading いま is identical to 今 (now) — context separates them.

Remember it 居 (to reside) + 間 (a space). The space where the family stays.

玄関げんかんで靴くつを脱いでぬいでから上がってあがってください。

Please take off your shoes in the entryway before stepping up.

Usage The 玄関 has no English equivalent: a sunken entry where shoes come off. Note 上がる (to step up) — you literally go up into the house.

Remember it 玄 (deep, mysterious) + 関 (a barrier, a gate). The threshold between outside and in.

庭にわに花はなを植えてうえて春はるを待ちまちました。

I planted flowers in the garden and waited for spring.

Usage 庭 is a garden or yard attached to a house. 庭園 (ていえん) is a formal landscaped garden, the kind you pay to visit. 植える (うえる) = to plant.

Remember it 庭 = 广 (a roof, a building) + 廷. The open ground belonging to the building.

引っ越しひっこしのために新しいあたらしい家具かぐを買いかいました。

I bought new furniture for the move.

Usage 家具 is furniture as a category and has no plural — 家具を買う covers one piece or ten. 具 marks tools and implements: 道具, 文具, 具合.

Remember it 家 (house) + 具 (implements). The implements of a house.

床ゆかに落ちたおちたパンくずを掃除機そうじきで吸い取りすいとりました。

I vacuumed up the breadcrumbs that had fallen on the floor.

Usage 機 (き) marks machines: 掃除機, 洗濯機, 飛行機, 自動販売機. Note the verb — 掃除機をかける, literally to 'apply' the vacuum cleaner.

Remember it 掃除 (cleaning) + 機 (machine). The cleaning machine.

この部屋へやは天井てんじょうが高くてたかくて広ひろく感かんじます。

This room has a high ceiling, so it feels spacious.

Usage 天井 also means an upper limit figuratively: 価格の天井 = a price ceiling, exactly as in English. Its opposite is 床 (ゆか), the floor.

Remember it 天 (heaven) + 井 (a well). The sky above you, framed like the mouth of a well.

ベッドに入るはいるとすぐ眠れねむれました。

I got into bed and fell asleep straight away.

Usage Note the small tsu: ベッド, not ベット — though you will hear the second in casual speech. ベッドに入る = to get into bed.

Remember it From English 'bed'. The traditional alternative is 布団, laid straight onto tatami.

本ほんを棚たなに整理せいりして並べならべました。

I sorted the books and lined them up on the shelf.

Usage 本棚 (ほんだな) = bookshelf, with rendaku voicing たな to だな. 整理する = to sort or organise, 並べる = to line up.

Remember it 棚 = 木 (wood) + 朋 (a pair). Two boards side by side.

週末しゅうまつごとに部屋へやの掃除そうじをするようにしています。

I try to clean my room every weekend.

Usage 掃除する = to clean a space; 洗う is to wash an object. 大掃除 (おおそうじ) is the big year-end clean every Japanese household does in December.

Remember it 掃 (to sweep) + 除 (to remove). Sweeping and removing.

洗濯せんたくものを外そとに干してほしておきました。

I hung the washing outside to dry.

Usage 洗濯物 (せんたくもの) = the laundry itself. 干す (ほす) = to hang out to dry — most Japanese homes air-dry rather than use a tumble dryer.

Remember it 洗 (to wash) + 濯 (to rinse). Both halves carry 氵, the water radical.

炊事すいじが得意とくいな人ひとがうらやましいうらやましいです。

I envy people who are good at cooking.

Usage 炊事 is cooking as a household chore, grouped with 洗濯 and 掃除. For the activity itself say 料理する. 炊く (たく) = to cook rice.

Remember it 炊 (to cook over fire) + 事 (a matter). The business of cooking — note the 火 on the left.

部屋へやを出るでるときは電気でんきを消してけしてください。

Please turn off the light when you leave the room.

Usage Key point: 電気 means both electricity and the light. 電気を消す = turn off the light, 電気をつける = turn it on. Context does the work.

Remember it 電 (electricity) + 気 (energy). The same 電 as 電車, 電話, 電子レンジ.

ガスがす料金りょうきんが今月こんげつは高かったたかかったです。

The gas bill was high this month.

Usage The three utilities are 電気, ガス and 水道, and each takes 料金 or 代 for its bill: ガス代, 電気代, 水道代.

Remember it From Dutch gas, one of many science words that entered Japanese through Dutch traders.

水道すいどうの蛇口じゃぐちから水みずが漏れてもれています。

Water is leaking from the tap.

Usage 水道 is the mains water supply. 蛇口 (じゃぐち) = tap, literally 'snake mouth', from old spouts shaped like dragons. 漏れる (もれる) = to leak.

Remember it 水 (water) + 道 (a way). The way water travels — a water main.

電話でんわが鳴ったなったが、知らないしらない番号ばんごうだったので出なかったでなかった。

The phone rang, but it was an unknown number so I didn't answer.

Usage 電話に出る = to answer a call (the same 出る as leaving a room), 電話をかける = to make one. 鳴る (なる) = to ring or sound.

Remember it 電 (electricity) + 話 (speech). Speech carried by electricity.

夜よるはテレビを見みながら夕食ゆうしょくを食べるたべることが多いおおいです。

In the evening I often eat dinner while watching television.

Usage Clipped from テレビジョン. ことが多い = 'it often happens that', a useful N3 way to describe a tendency.

Remember it From English 'television', trimmed to three mora — the standard Japanese treatment.

エアコンをつけてつけても部屋へやがなかなかなかなか涼しくすずしくなりません。

Even with the air conditioner on, the room doesn't cool down easily.

Usage Clipped from エアコンディショナー. なかなか with a negative = 'not easily, not readily'. つける = to switch on, 消す = to switch off.

Remember it From 'air con(ditioner)'. Japanese takes the first mora of each half — the same recipe as パソコン and リモコン.

冷蔵庫れいぞうこの中身なかみを確認かくにんしてから買い物かいものに行きいきます。

I check what's in the fridge before going shopping.

Usage 冷蔵庫 = fridge, 冷凍庫 (れいとうこ) = freezer. 中身 (なかみ) = the contents of something, a handy everyday noun.

Remember it 冷 (cold) + 蔵 (to store) + 庫 (a storehouse). The cold storehouse.

洗濯機せんたくきが壊れてこわれて手洗いてあらいしなければなりません。

The washing machine broke, so I have to wash by hand.

Usage Officially せんたくき, but almost everyone says せんたっき in speech. 機 (き) marks machines: 洗濯機, 飛行機, 掃除機 (vacuum cleaner).

Remember it 洗濯 (laundry) + 機 (machine). The laundry machine.

電子レンジでんしれんじで温めるあたためるだけなので簡単かんたんです。

You just heat it in the microwave, so it's easy.

Usage Usually shortened to レンジ. False friend: レンジ comes from English 'range' (a cooker), but in Japanese it means the microwave. 温める = to warm up.

Remember it 電子 (electronic) + レンジ (range). The electronic range.

ストーブの前まえに座ってすわって暖まりあたたまりました。

I sat in front of the heater and warmed up.

Usage False friend: ストーブ is a room heater, not a cooking stove. The thing you cook on is コンロ. 暖まる (あたたまる) = to get warm — note 暖 for air, 温 for objects.

Remember it From English 'stove', but the meaning shifted from cooking to heating on the way in.

鍵かぎをかけ忘れたかけわすれたかもしれないので戻りもどりました。

I thought I might have forgotten to lock up, so I went back.

Usage 鍵をかける = to lock, 鍵を開ける = to unlock. Verb stem + 忘れる = to forget to do something: かけ忘れる, 言い忘れる.

Remember it 鍵 = 金 (metal) + 建 (to build). A metal piece that secures a building.

ドアをノックのっくしてから入ってはいってください。

Please knock on the door before entering.

Usage ドア is a hinged Western-style door; 戸 (と) is a traditional sliding one, and 引き戸 (ひきど) names the sliding kind specifically.

Remember it From English 'door', two mora: ど-あ.

窓まどから富士山ふじさんが見えてみえて感動かんどうしました。

I could see Mt. Fuji from the window and was moved.

Usage 見える is 'to be visible' rather than an act of looking — the view offers itself to you. 感動する (かんどう) = to be moved emotionally.

Remember it 窓 = 穴 (a hole) over 心. An opening in the wall.

カーテンを引いてひいて昼寝ひるねをしました。

I drew the curtains and had an afternoon nap.

Usage カーテンを引く or 閉める = to draw the curtains, 開ける = to open them. 昼寝 (ひるね) = a nap, literally 'noon sleep'.

Remember it From English 'curtain', four mora: か-あ-て-ん.

和室わしつには畳たたみが敷かれてしかれていて、いいいい香りかおりがします。

The Japanese-style room is laid with tatami and smells lovely.

Usage Tatami doubles as a unit of area: room sizes are quoted in 畳 (じょう), as in 六畳 for a six-mat room. 和室 = Japanese-style room, 洋室 = Western-style.

Remember it 畳 also means to fold — mats were once folded away when not in use.

冬ふゆは厚いあつい布団ふとんでないと寒いさむいです。

In winter you'll be cold without a thick futon.

Usage False friend: a Japanese 布団 is bedding laid on tatami and folded away each morning, not a Western sofa-bed. 布団を敷く = to lay it out.

Remember it 布 (cloth) + 団 (a round bundle). A bundle of cloth.

新しいあたらしいアパートあぱーとに引っ越しひっこしするのが楽しみたのしみです。

I'm looking forward to moving into the new flat.

Usage 引っ越す is the verb, 引っ越し the noun, and the destination takes に. 引っ越しそば is the soba traditionally given to new neighbours.

Remember it 引く (to pull) + 越す (to cross over). Pulling your things across to a new place.

家賃やちんが高くてたかくて貯金ちょきんができません。

The rent is so high that I can't save money.

Usage 家賃 is rent. The same 賃 appears in 運賃 (fare) — it marks a charge for use. 貯金 (ちょきん) = savings, 敷金・礼金 are the deposits paid up front.

Remember it 家 (house) + 賃 (a charge). The charge for the house.

住所じゅうしょと名前なまえを正確せいかくに書いてかいてください。

Please write your address and name accurately.

Usage Japanese addresses run largest to smallest — prefecture, city, district, block, building — the reverse of the English order. 正確に = accurately.

Remember it 住 (to live) + 所 (place). The place you live.

近所きんじょの人ひとたちとは仲良くなかよくしたいです。

I'd like to get on well with the people in my neighbourhood.

Usage ご近所 with the honorific is common when speaking of neighbours. Compare 隣人 (りんじん) from the people lesson, which is far more formal.

Remember it 近 (near) + 所 (place). The places near you.

アパートの家賃やちんは月つき6万円まんえんです。

The rent on the flat is sixty thousand yen a month.

Usage アパート means a smaller, older, usually low-rise building — cheaper than a マンション. Both are flats; the word signals the building's grade.

Remember it Clipped from English 'apartment'. Japanese kept the first half and dropped the rest.

マンションの管理費かんりひが毎月まいつきかかりかかります。

There's a monthly management fee for the flat.

Usage The biggest false friend in this lesson: a マンション is an ordinary concrete apartment block, not a mansion. 管理費 = the building management fee.

Remember it From English 'mansion', but the meaning shrank dramatically — estate agents borrowed it to make flats sound grand.

将来しょうらいは一軒家いっけんやに住みたいすみたいと思っておもっています。

I'd like to live in a detached house in the future.

Usage 軒 (けん) is the counter for houses: 一軒, 二軒. 住む takes に for where you live: 東京に住む, never を.

Remember it 一 (one) + 軒 (a counter for buildings) + 家 (house). A house standing on its own.

廊下ろうかを走はしらないでくださいと注意ちゅういされました。

I was told off for running in the corridor.

Usage 廊下 is an indoor corridor in a house, school or hospital. Watch the reading: ろうか, not ろうげ.

Remember it 廊 (a covered walkway) + 下 (below). A roofed passage you walk beneath.

日常にちじょうの小さなちいさな幸せしあわせを大切たいせつにしたいです。

I want to treasure the small joys of everyday life.

Usage 日常 is the everyday as a quality — 日常生活, 日常会話 (everyday conversation). 非日常 (ひにちじょう) is its opposite, the out-of-the-ordinary.

Remember it 日 (day) + 常 (constant, usual). What holds constant day to day.