How to say "room" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 部屋へやnounThe general word for a room as a physical part of a house or building — a bedroom, a hotel room. When 'room' means an actual enclosed room, this is the default choice.マユコは部屋に入った。↗Mayuko entered the room.
- 室しつnoun, noun (suffix)The counterpart of 部屋 in compound words and in the official names of rooms; on its own it is not how you normally refer to a room in speech.
- nounThe loanword from English; it turns up mainly in borrowed expressions, and is seldom the natural choice for an ordinary room — for that, 部屋 is the word.
- nounThe loanword for 'space'; it fits 'room' meaning free area or capacity — room to move, room for one more — not a room as an enclosed part of a building.
- 空間くうかんnounSpace as a three-dimensional or abstract extent — open space, the space around you. It can render 'room' in abstract senses, but it is not a word for a room in a building.
Use 部屋 for an ordinary room in a building, 室 in compounds and formal room names, 「ルーム」 in borrowed expressions, and 「スペース」 or 空間 when 'room' means space or capacity rather than an actual room.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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