人家|じんかjinka[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounhouse; dwelling; human habitation
   この辺あたりには人家じんかがない。↗

   There are no houses around here.

• Synonym住居じゅうきょWrittenWritten and fairly formal word for the place where one lives. 「人家」 depicts houses as inhabited, stressing the presence of people.
• Synonym家屋かおくWrittenWritten word for a house regarded purely as a building. 「人家」 stresses that people live there.
• Synonym家いえNeutralSuffix for shops or for people in a trade, as in 「八百屋」 and 「花屋」; by itself it never means a house.
• Synonym居宅きょたくFormalFormal word for the home one lives in day to day; common in legal and care-service contexts, as in 「居宅介護」. 「人家」 is descriptive.
• Synonym住家じゅうかWrittenWritten word for a house to live in; rare today—「住宅」 is the usual choice. 「人家」 stresses habitation.
• Related住宅じゅうたくNeutralThe neutral, everyday word for housing, as in 「住宅街」. 「人家」 highlights inhabited houses and is mostly used in description.
• Related宅たくNeutralYour own or another person's home; the polite form is 「お宅」. 「人家」 is an objective, descriptive word.
• Related家宅かたくFormalFormal word seen chiefly in 「家宅捜索」. 「人家」 is used for describing houses with people in them.
• Related宿やどNeutralAn inn or lodging, and by extension a place to stay. 「人家」 refers to private houses.
• Related居所いどころNeutralWhere a person lives or can be found, as in 「居所不明」. 「人家」 means the houses themselves.
• Related住処すみかNeutralA place to live, a lair; also covers animal dens and nests. 「人家」 means houses where people live.
• Related住屋じゅうおくWrittenWritten word for a building people live in; very rare—prefer 「住宅」 or 「住居」.

For houses in general, say 「住宅」. Use 「人家」 when you view houses in terms of habitation—whether people live there, as in 「人家もまばら」 or 「人家が密集する」. In formal documents, use 「住居」 or 「居宅」.

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

1. 人ひとの住すむ家いえ。