Japanese word

長屋

Pronunciation

Romajinagaya

Meaning

  • nounrow house

Example

この町には古い長屋が残っています。ko no machi ni wa furu i naga ya ga noko tte i ma su

Old row houses remain in this town.

Illustration for 長屋 (row house)

More examples

祖父母は、若いころに長屋で暮らしていました。so fu bo wa waka i ko ro ni naga ya de ku ra shi te i ma shi ta

My grandparents lived in a row house when they were young.

Core concept

Describes homes that share one continuous structure while each household occupies its own separate unit.

Common phrases

  • 長屋で暮らすnaga ya de ku ra su

    live in a row house

  • 長屋が並ぶnaga ya ga nara bu

    row houses line up

  • 長屋の跡地naga ya no ato chi

    the site of a former row house

Similar words

テラスハウスterasuhausu: A group of homes joined side by side, with each home having its own entrance.
タウンハウスtaunhausu: A row of separate homes that share walls and form one connected building.

Definition in Japanese

複数の住戸を横に連ね、それぞれを別の世帯が住まいとする建物。fuku sū no jū ko o yoko ni tsura ne so re zo re o betsu no se tai ga su ma i to su ru tate mono

Word origin

The Japanese compound 長屋 (nagaya) combines 長 (naga, "long") and 屋 (ya, "house" or "building"), reflecting dwellings arranged in a long connected structure.

Usage tips

  • Traditional 長屋 (nagaya) often appears in discussions of Edo-period urban life because compact connected dwellings housed many townspeople.

Other meanings

  • tenement housenoun

Word lists with this word