Japanese word of the day: 部屋 (Heya)

What does 部屋 (Heya) mean?

部屋 (Heya) (noun) – Room. This word refers to any kind of room in a house, apartment, hotel, or building. It’s used for bedrooms, living rooms, classrooms, offices, and more—basically, any enclosed space with walls and a door.

Kanji details for 部 and 屋

Character: 部 — section, bureau, dept, class, copy, part, portion, counter for copies of a newspaper or magazine
Radical: town (阝 right) 邑 (阝)

Character: 屋 — roof, house, shop, dealer, seller
Radical: corpse 尸

Example sentences with 部屋 (Heya)

• 私の部屋は二階にあります。
  (Watashi no heya wa nikai ni arimasu.)
  🏠 My room is on the second floor.

• 部屋を掃除しなければなりません。
  (Heya o sōji shinakereba narimasen.)
  🧹 I have to clean my room.

• このホテルの部屋はとても広いです。
  (Kono hoteru no heya wa totemo hiroi desu.)
  🏨 The rooms in this hotel are very spacious.

部屋 (Heya) in context

部屋 is one of the most basic and useful words in Japanese, perfect for talking about where you live, work, or stay. You’ll hear it in phrases like 自分の部屋 (jibun no heya, my own room), 会議室 (kaigishitsu, meeting room), or 和室 (washitsu, Japanese-style room). When renting or booking a place, 部屋 is the word you’ll see for different room types and sizes.

A quick tip: To specify the type of room, just add a word in front, like 寝室 (shinshitsu, bedroom), 子供部屋 (kodomo beya, children’s room), or 台所部屋 (daidokoro beya, kitchen room—though just 台所 is more common).

Whether you’re describing your home, looking for a hotel, or just wanting a quiet place to relax, 部屋 is the essential word for any kind of room in Japanese.