It’s been quite a long time since I put out a vocabulary list, so I thought I would make one about house-related terms. As usual, this list is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather give you some useful terms to learn that might come in handy in daily life, especially if you are living or going to live in Japan.
In several cases there are both traditional and modern words, so I will give both. I’ve used kanji for most of the words, even when they are sometimes written using hiragana (ex: こたつ）
建物 (tatemono): building
家 (ie): house
床 (yuka): floor
壁 (kabe): wall
屋根 (yane): roof
トイレ (toire): bathroom
お手洗い (otearai): bathroom (literally “hand washing”)
床の間 (toko no ma): Japanese-style reception room
縁側 (engawa): a non-tatami matted strip, frequently made of wood or bamboo, that can run outside the building or around rooms (sometimes called a veranda).
ベランダ (beranda): veranda
玄関 (genkan): entryway
ドア (doa): door
前庭 (maeniwa): garden in front
裏庭 (uraniwa): garden in back
廊下 (rouka): hallway
ホール (hooru): hallway
窓 (mado): window
井戸 (ido): well
柵 (saku): fence
家具 (kagu): furniture
寝室 (shinshitsu): bedroom
ベッドルーム (beddoruumu): bedroom
居間 (ima): living room
リビング (ribingu): living room
和室 (washitsu): Japanese-style room, usually with tatami mats and other traditional elements
洋室 (youshitsu): Western-style room (generally doesn’t have tatami)
ガレージ (gareeji): garage
車庫 (shako): garage
台所 (daidokoro): kitchen
キッチン (kitchen): kitchen
洗面所 (senmenjo): washroom (a place with sinks but generally not toilets)
お風呂 (ofuro): a bath
シャワー (shawaa): shower
柱 (hashira): pillar
ふすま (fusuma): sliding door that separates rooms
炬燵 (kotatsu): traditional heat source in the form of a low table
畳 (tatami): tatami (made from rice straw and other materials)
障子 (shouji): traditional japanese door or window made of thin paper
テーブル (teeburu): table
ソファ (sofa): sofa
網戸 (amido): screen
上り口 (agariguchi): doorstep
階段 (kaidan): steps
段差 (dansa): height difference (a single step)
二階建て (nikai-date): two-story building
バルコニー (barukonii): balcony
煙突 (entotsu): chimney
水回り (mizumawari): a place in a house where water is used (bathroom or kitchen, etc.)
カウンター (kauntaa): counter
机 (tsukue): desk
ファン (fan): fan
扇風機 (senpuuki): fan
クーラー (kuuraa): air conditioner (for cold)
暖房 (danbou): heater
調節機 (chousetsuki): adjustment panel (like for an air conditioner)
通気孔 (tsuukikou): air conditioner vent
天井 (tenjou): ceiling
暖炉 (danro): fireplace
絨毯 (juutan): carpet
押し入れ (oshiire): traditional closet with sliding doors
食器洗い機 (shokkiaraiki): dish washer
乾燥機 (kansouki): clothes dryer
洗濯機 (sentakuki): clothes washer (sometimes pronounced ‘sentakkuki’)
椅子 (isu): table
引き出し (hikidashi): drawer
シンク (shinku): sink
流し (nagashi): sink
コンセント (konsento): power outlet
電気 (denki): light (the object), electricity
電球 (denkyuu): light bulb
電気スイッチ (denki suicchi): light switch
プール (puuru): pool
掃除機 (soujiki): vacuum cleaner
箒 (houki): broom
敷居 (shikii): threshold between rooms (door sill)
一軒家 (ikkenya): a house that is isolated from other houses