How to say "villa" in Japanese

Choosing the right word

別荘べっそうJLPT N2approx.Common
nounA second house kept for holidays — the plain, neutral way to say 'villa' as a family's vacation home, typically a detached house in the countryside or a resort area.
その別荘べっそうは清潔せいけつで整然せいぜんとしていた。↗
The cottage was clean and tidy.
ビラCommon
nounThe loanword for 'villa': a Western-style holiday house, often evoking Mediterranean resort architecture; you will see it mainly in travel and resort contexts.
今回こんかいはじめてプライベートヴィラに滞在たいざいしましたが、これがなかなか良よいです。↗
This time I stayed for the first time in a private villa, and it was really quite something.
別邸べっていCommon
nounAn elegant word for a secondary residence, with a refined nuance: the kind of second home a wealthy or distinguished family keeps, rather than an ordinary holiday cottage.

Use 別荘 for an ordinary holiday home or second house, 「ビラ」 for the Western-style loanword evoking resort villas, and 別邸 when you want an elegant word for a distinguished family's secondary residence.

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

Japanese equivalents

別荘べっそうholiday house
ビラvilla
別邸べっていsecondary residence
荘しょうmanor
別業べつぎょうvilla
リゾートハウスvilla

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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