When you're looking for a place to stay in Japan, you'll often come across the terms 洋室 (yōshitsu) and 和室 (washitsu). 洋室 refers to a Western-style room. This means it will likely have a bed, a desk, and chairs, similar to what you'd find in a hotel room in Western countries.
It's a practical term to know, especially when booking accommodation, as it directly impacts your sleeping arrangements and the overall feel of the room. Knowing this term helps you manage expectations for your stay. You might prefer a 洋室 if you're more comfortable with beds than with futons on the floor.
洋室 in 30 Seconds
- 洋室 is a Western-style room.
- It's common in modern Japanese homes.
- Contrast with 和室 (washitsu), a traditional Japanese room.
Examples by Level
このホテルには和室と洋室の両方があります。
This hotel has both Japanese-style and Western-style rooms.
両方 (ryouhou) means 'both'.
私たちの家はリビングとダイニングが洋室です。
In our house, the living room and dining room are Western-style.
リビング (ribingu) and ダイニング (dainingu) are loanwords for 'living room' and 'dining room'.
畳の部屋より洋室の方が落ち着きます。
I feel more comfortable in a Western-style room than a tatami room.
畳 (tatami) refers to traditional Japanese straw mats. 落ち着きます (ochitsukimasu) means 'to feel calm/relaxed'.
新しいアパートは、寝室が全部洋室です。
All the bedrooms in the new apartment are Western-style.
寝室 (shinshitsu) means 'bedroom'. 全部 (zenbu) means 'all'.
最近の日本家屋では洋室が一般的になってきました。
Western-style rooms have become common in recent Japanese houses.
日本家屋 (nihon kaoku) means 'Japanese house'. 一般的 (ippan-teki) means 'general/common'.
彼は畳よりもベッドのある洋室を好みます。
He prefers a Western-style room with a bed over a tatami room.
よりも (yori mo) is used for comparison, meaning 'rather than/more than'.
子供部屋は遊びやすいように洋室にしました。
We made the children's room a Western-style room so it's easy to play in.
子供部屋 (kodomobeya) means 'children's room'. 遊びやすい (asobi-yasui) means 'easy to play in'.
この旅館は珍しく、全ての客室が洋室です。
This inn is unusual; all its guest rooms are Western-style.
旅館 (ryokan) is a traditional Japanese inn. 珍しく (mezurashiku) means 'unusually'. 客室 (kyakushitsu) means 'guest room'.
このホテルには和室と洋室の両方がありますが、洋室の方が人気があります。
This hotel has both Japanese-style and Western-style rooms, but Western-style rooms are more popular.
彼女は畳の部屋よりも、ベッドのある洋室を好む。
She prefers a Western-style room with a bed over a tatami room.
私の家は伝統的な日本家屋ですが、寝室だけは洋室に改装しました。
My house is a traditional Japanese house, but only the bedroom was renovated into a Western-style room.
最近のマンションでは、リビングは洋室で、寝室は和室という間取りが多い。
In recent condominiums, many layouts have a Western-style living room and a Japanese-style bedroom.
彼は来日する友人のために、快適な洋室を予約した。
He booked a comfortable Western-style room for his friend who is coming to Japan.
この旅館の洋室は、和の趣と現代的な設備が融合している。
The Western-style rooms in this inn combine Japanese charm with modern amenities.
家族全員で泊まるので、広めの洋室を希望します。
Since our whole family will be staying, we prefer a spacious Western-style room.
洋室に慣れている外国人観光客にとっては、和室よりも安心感があるでしょう。
For foreign tourists accustomed to Western-style rooms, they will likely feel more at ease than in a Japanese-style room.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
このアパートには洋室が2つあります。
This apartment has two Western-style rooms.
洋室はベッドルームとして使われています。
The Western-style room is used as a bedroom.
和室より洋室の方が好きです。
I prefer Western-style rooms over Japanese-style rooms.
ホテルには洋室と和室の両方があります。
The hotel has both Western-style and Japanese-style rooms.
洋室の窓から光が入ります。
Light comes in through the window of the Western-style room.
洋室にはエアコンが完備されています。
The Western-style room is fully equipped with air conditioning.
私の家には広い洋室があります。
My house has a spacious Western-style room.
洋室の壁の色は白です。
The wall color of the Western-style room is white.
彼は洋室で本を読んでいました。
He was reading a book in the Western-style room.
洋室の床はフローリングです。
The floor of the Western-style room is hardwood.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Imagine a 'yo-yo' (洋) spinning in a 'shitsu' (室 - room), clearly a Western-style toy in a Western-style room.
Visual Association
Picture a modern hotel room with a large, comfortable bed, a desk, and a chair – all very Western in style. This is your mental image for 洋室.
Word Web
Challenge
Look around your own living space. If it's a Western-style room, think to yourself: 'これは洋室です' (Kore wa youshitsu desu - This is a Western-style room). If you see a picture of a traditional Japanese room, contrast it by thinking of 洋室.
Test Yourself 18 questions
This is a Western-style room.
My house has a Western-style room.
I booked a Western-style room at the hotel.
Read this aloud:
これは洋室ですか？
Focus: ようしつ
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
私は洋室が好きです。
Focus: すきです
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
あなたの家には洋室がありますか？
Focus: あなた の いえ には ようしつ が あります か
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence asks if there is a Western-style room in this hotel. The particles 'に' and 'は' are important here.
This sentence states that 'My room is a Western-style room.' '私の' indicates possession, and 'です' is the polite copula.
This sentence means 'I prefer Western-style rooms over Japanese-style rooms.' 'より' indicates a comparison, and 'が' marks the object of preference.
This hotel only has Western-style rooms.
The new apartment has both Japanese and Western-style rooms.
I prefer Western-style rooms over tatami rooms.
/ 18 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
洋室 (yōshitsu) means a Western-style room, which is common in modern Japanese housing.
- 洋室 is a Western-style room.
- It's common in modern Japanese homes.
- Contrast with 和室 (washitsu), a traditional Japanese room.
Example
このアパートは洋室が二つある。
Related Content
More home words
上に
B1Above; on top of.
不在
B1Absent; not present. Not in a particular place.
手頃な
B1Affordable, reasonable (price).
お先に
B1Excuse me for going first; said when leaving before others.
仲介
B1Mediation, agency (e.g., real estate).
あっ
B1Ah!; an exclamation of sudden realization or surprise.
エアコン
A2air conditioner
冷暖房
B1Air conditioning and heating system.
風通しの良い
B1Well-ventilated; airy.
～可
A2Suffix meaning "permitted" or "allowed".
