How to say "housekeeping" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 家政かせいCommon
    nounHousekeeping as the management and economy of a household — running a home as a whole rather than doing chores. It has a formal, technical flavor, the term behind 'home economics'.
    梨奈りなは家政かせい部ぶで、主おもに洋裁ようさいをやっている。↗
    Rina is in the home economics club. Her main activity is dressmaking.
  • nounThe loanword, used much as in English. In practice it points to cleaning: hotel housekeeping departments, and paid housekeeping services that send staff to clean homes.
  • 家事代行かじだいこう
    nounHousekeeping in the paid-service sense: a company sends someone to do the housework in your place. This is the word for hiring domestic help through a service.
  • 所帯持ちしょたいもち
    nounSeldom the word you want for housekeeping: it really means a married person, someone who has and runs a household of their own. Think 'householder', not chores.
  • 主婦業しゅふぎょう
    nounHousekeeping as the housewife's occupation: running a home treated as a job in itself. It views housework from the standpoint of a full-time homemaker rather than naming individual chores.

For housekeeping as a paid service use 家事代行 or the loanword 「ハウスキーピング」; 家政 is formal household management; 主婦業 frames it as the housewife's job; 「所帯持ち」 usually means a married person, not the chores.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents

Say it right, write it right

Core lookup works fully offline, with cloud pronunciation and one-tap save & review. Free, no sign-up.

Free downloadWindowsFree downloadmacOSDownload on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
MobileiOS / Android

Android

QR code for the Google Play pageGet it on Google Play

Scan it with your Android phone to install, or search for “Tomoshi” on Google Play.

iOS

QR code for the App Store pageDownload on the App Store

Scan it with your iPhone camera to install, or search for “Tomoshi” in the App Store.

Install the browser extensionLook words up on any web page · Chrome / Edge / Safari

Screenshot of a Tomoshi lookup resultScreenshot of Tomoshi lookup results on a phone

Windows macOS Chrome / Edge / Safari extension iOS / Android