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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "house" in Japanese?
家
ie
In Japanese, "house" is 家 (ie).
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Pronunciation
家 is written using kanji. Romanised as ie, it sounds roughly like "ee-eh" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
家 is a versatile kanji meaning house, home, or family. It is structurally one of the simpler characters and appears frequently in address contexts.
Example sentence
家に帰ってから夕ごはんを食べます。
Ie ni kaette kara yuugohan wo tabemasu.
I eat dinner after getting home.
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How to remember 家
The kanji 家 looks like a roof over a simplified structure.
Related words
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 家
How do you pronounce 家?
家 is romanised as ie. Say it roughly like "ee-eh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is 家 formal or casual?
家 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 家 written in Japanese?
家 is written using kanji. 家 is a versatile kanji meaning house, home, or family.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
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"House" in other languages
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