In the kitchen/living room vocabulary

[Dmitry]

It is very helpful to learn foreign language by memorizing words that surround you. Therefore, today I would like to give some words that concern kitchen and living room vocabulary. So, let`s start with the names of pots and pans that you can find in your kitchen.

キッチン [kicchin] - Kitchen

電子レンジ [denshirenzi] - microwave

ワイングラス [waingurasu] - wine

コーヒーカップ [kouhiikappu] - coffee cup

湯飲み（茶わん）[yuunomi (chyawan)] - tea cup (you also may use just 茶わん to say 'tea cup')

食器 [syokki] - dish

スツール [sutuuru] - stool

冷蔵庫 [reizouko] - refrigerator

ガスレンジ/ガスコンロ [gasurenzi/gasukonro] - gas stove

グラスのコップ [gurasu no koppu] - glass (or just グラス)

レバー [rebaa] - lever

流し [nagashi] - sink

Living room:

リビング/居間 [ribingu/ima] - living room (both words can be used)

窓ガラス [madogarasu] - window glass

雨戸 [amado] - shutter

網戸 [amido] - screen (door)

天井 [tenzyou] - ceiling

床 [yuka] - floor

じゅうたん/カーペット [zyuutan/kaapetto] - carpet

長いす/ソファー [nagaisu/sofaa] - sofa

ヒーター [hiitaa] - heater

エアコン [eakon] - air conditioner

コンセント [konsento] - electrical outlet

コード [koudo] - cord

And couple verbs:

上げる [ageru] - to lift: レバーを上げる [reba-woageru] - to turn up the lever

電源 [dengen] - power supply: 電源を入れる [dengen wo ireru] - to plug in (to turn on the switch); 電源をきる [dengen wo ireru] - to unplug

As you can see the most of the words are loan words. So, it`s going to be easy to memorize them. My advice, if you want to deepen your vocabulary skills you may put stickers with the name of the furniture around your apartment, so that every time you look around your apartment you could see the name of the furniture in Japanese. Good luck with learning Japanese language!

[Edwinrai]

Great post. I am encountering many of these Japanese words for the first time. I really like kouhikappu, nagashi and hitaa. They are easy to memorize because as you pointed out they are very similar to the actual English words that they represent. I suppose learning the Japanese words for common household items is a necessity and this is as good a guide as any. Thank you.

[FenWoFon]

This is a great post, I'm actually trying to get into new languages and this is really useful for beginners like me.

How do you actually pronounce what you put there? I'm guessing you pronounce it like it is written with an accent of course or even a volume, I don't know- I suppose this is a good way of learning some vocabulary for the language which is Japanese, anyways thank you for your help and I'll be sure to practice with your method.

Cheers.

[Teira Eri]

May I add a few to the list?

食器（しょっき）Shokki   pronounced "show-key"  = Dinnerware, dining ware, usually the ceramic and stoneware goods

炊飯器（すいはんき）Suihanki   pronounced "soo-e-han-key" = rice cooker

トースター　Toosuta  pronounced "toasta" = toaster

箸（はし） hashi  pronounced "hah-shee" (emphasis on the HAH) = chopsticks

鍋（なべ） nabe  pronounced "naw-bay" = Japanese hot pot

小鉄（こてつ） kotetsu pronounced "koh-teht-soo" = Japanese heated table for the winter

鉄板（てっぱん） teppan pronounced "tep-pan" = The specialty teppanyaki maker/dish thing.  I can't really describe it.

フライパン furaipan "foo-rye-pan" = Fry pan

はさみ hasami "hah-sah-mee" = Scissors

食器洗浄機（しょっきせんじょうき） shokkisenjyouki "show-ki-sen-jo-key" = main word for dishwasher
食器洗い機（しょっきあらいき） shokkiaraiki "show-ki-ah-rye-key" = secondary word for dishwasher
食器洗剤（しょっきせんざい） shokkisenzai "show-ki-sen-zai" = dishwasher detergent

棚（たな） tana "tah-nah" = cupboard or cabinet or shelving (depends on the room)

 

 

[BWL]

  On 3/31/2016 at 12:16 PM, Teira Eri said:

May I add a few to the list?

食器（しょっき）Shokki   pronounced "show-key"  = Dinnerware, dining ware, usually the ceramic and stoneware goods

炊飯器（すいはんき）Suihanki   pronounced "soo-e-han-key" = rice cooker

トースター　Toosuta  pronounced "toasta" = toaster

箸（はし） hashi  pronounced "hah-shee" (emphasis on the HAH) = chopsticks

鍋（なべ） nabe  pronounced "naw-bay" = Japanese hot pot

小鉄（こてつ） kotetsu pronounced "koh-teht-soo" = Japanese heated table for the winter

鉄板（てっぱん） teppan pronounced "tep-pan" = The specialty teppanyaki maker/dish thing.  I can't really describe it.

フライパン furaipan "foo-rye-pan" = Fry pan

はさみ hasami "hah-sah-mee" = Scissors

食器洗浄機（しょっきせんじょうき） shokkisenjyouki "show-ki-sen-jo-key" = main word for dishwasher
食器洗い機（しょっきあらいき） shokkiaraiki "show-ki-ah-rye-key" = secondary word for dishwasher
食器洗剤（しょっきせんざい） shokkisenzai "show-ki-sen-zai" = dishwasher detergent

棚（たな） tana "tah-nah" = cupboard or cabinet or shelving (depends on the room)

 

 

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That's a great list! BTW do Japanese normally write "hasami" in kanji? I remember seeing it written in hiragana although I can't recall if I've ever seen the kanji.

[Teira Eri]

  On 3/31/2016 at 1:45 PM, BWL said:

That's a great list! BTW do Japanese normally write "hasami" in kanji? I remember seeing it written in hiragana although I can't recall if I've ever seen the kanji.

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Thank you :3  
The kanji for hasami is 鋏 but kana is the chosen method for writing it.  Supposedly, there's a second reading to the kanji, "yattoko/やっとこ" which means pincers or shears.  I suppose to prevent confusion, hiragana became the popular way to differentiate the two.

[BWL]

  On 4/1/2016 at 1:32 AM, Teira Eri said:

Thank you :3  
The kanji for hasami is 鋏 but kana is the chosen method for writing it.  Supposedly, there's a second reading to the kanji, "yattoko/やっとこ" which means pincers or shears.  I suppose to prevent confusion, hiragana became the popular way to differentiate the two.

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Yes that explains a lot! I've noticed a lot of words like this as well, common Japanese words written in hiragana rather than kanji. 

For instance, do people still write  "おはようございます" and  "こんにちは" with kanji? 

Thanks!

[wanderer.girl]

This is very useful, thanks! Well I usually find the words with fewer syllables very easy to remember. Indeed, it's fascinating to find words that are similar to English words. Oh, and let's not forget the Japanese word for kitchen too  台所 - daidokoro

More words:
食器棚 (shokkidana) can be used for 'cupboards' too.
電気ポット (denki potto) for electric pot
ジューサー (juusaa) for juicer 

[宇崎ちゃん]

  On 4/13/2021 at 10:06 AM, Billon said:

The Japanese have a kitchen combined with a living room usually, as I managed to pay attention to this when I was in Japan.

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Depends on the room design.
The DK and LDK type or rooms indeed have it in 1, but the K type of rooms have it separated.
It's more common to have it combined in big cities due to the lack of space, but in the countryside there's so much room, it's more common to have kitchen separated from the living room.

My first 2 apartments had a kitchen in the hallway, the first one was separated by a door, but the other one had no door, so it was separated by a higher step instead.
My current house on the other hand has a dedicated kitchen, though my last apartment in a big city before moving to nature had the kitchen and living room in the same space, kitchen was right at the frontdoor like the other apartments, but since it was much further away from Tokyo, it was pretty spacious, and I could finally cut food in the kitchen for the first time since my arrival in Japan.
The first 2 apartments were so tiny, I had to cut meat and vegetables near my computer desk, which was right next to my bed, so my bed doubled as a desk chair.