The Japanese Home: Genkan, Tatami and Household Words
Vocabulary for rooms and household items in Japanese, plus the customs of taking off shoes at the genkan and separate slippers for the toilet.
Understanding the Japanese home means learning both words and customs. The two go together.
Rooms and parts of the home
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 家 | いえ (ie) | house, home |
| 部屋 | へや (heya) | room |
| 玄関 | げんかん (genkan) | entrance hall |
| 台所 | だいどころ (daidokoro) | kitchen |
| 居間 | いま (ima) | living room |
| 寝室 | しんしつ (shinshitsu) | bedroom |
| お風呂 | おふろ (ofuro) | bath |
| トイレ | toire | toilet |
| 庭 | にわ (niwa) | garden |
| 窓 | まど (mado) | window |
| ドア | doa | door |
Items in the home
- 机 (つくえ) — desk
- いす — chair
- ベッド — bed
- 冷蔵庫 (れいぞうこ) — refrigerator
- テレビ — TV
- エアコン — air conditioner
- 電気 (でんき) — electric light, electricity
Rooms with tatami
A traditional room has 畳 (たたみ, tatami) mats. Room sizes are often measured in mats, for example 六畳 (rokujō), a six-mat room. Shoes are never worn on tatami.
The genkan
The 玄関 is a small entrance area, lower than the main floor. Here you take off your shoes and step up into the house:
- おじゃまします。 (Ojama shimasu.) — Excuse me for intruding. (said on entering someone's home)
- お邪魔しました。 — Thank you for having me. (said on leaving)
- ただいま。 (Tadaima.) — I'm home. (said on returning)
- おかえりなさい。 (Okaeri nasai.) — Welcome home. (the reply)
Slippers and toilets
Many homes provide slippers for indoor walking. In some homes, there are separate toilet slippers used only in the toilet. Take these off when you leave the toilet.
Bath customs
In Japanese homes, the bath is for soaking, and you wash and rinse before entering the tub, so the water stays clean.
Useful sentences
- ここに靴を脱いでください。 — Please take your shoes off here.
- 部屋は狭いです。 — The room is small.
- 家はどこですか。 — Where is your home?
Tips
- Learn おじゃまします and ただいま.
- Watch what your host does with shoes and slippers.
- Use the dictionary to check readings.
English Japanese Dictionary
Offline English–Japanese dictionary with kanji, hiragana and katakana support
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