大家
ōya[o̞ːja̠]
The English word landlord is expressed in Japanese as 大家 (ōya). Wiktionary also lists 家主 (yanushi).
Meaning: person who owns and rents land such as a house, apartment, or condo (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 大家 | ōya | [o̞ːja̠] (narrow) [ta̠ika̠] (narrow) |
| 家主 | yanushi | [ja̠nɯ̟ɕi] (narrow) |
The terms used for landlord in Japanese refer to someone who owns and rents out property, such as a house, apartment or condo.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 家主 (yanushi) is composed of 家 (house) and 主 (owner/master).
Which one should you use?
While both terms mean landlord, 大家 (ōya) is more commonly used in daily conversation and for apartment buildings, whereas 家主 (yanushi) sounds slightly more formal or literal.
How do you pronounce it?
ōya
Did you know?
- The word 大家 is a homophone for a word meaning 'expert' or 'great master' in a field like the tea ceremony. The two meanings are written with the same characters but represent very different social roles.
- In the Okinawan dialect, the same characters used for 大家 (ōya) are pronounced as ufuyā, where the term refers to a person of high status or an elder.
- While 大家 is the common term for a landlord, many tenants in Japan never actually meet them. Instead, they interact with a 管理会社 or 'management company' that handles all communication.
Examples in context
- トムは家賃滞納により家主から立ち退きを求められた。Tom was evicted by his landlord for not paying rent.This sentence shows a landlord using the form 家主.Tatoeba #9837290 by Sim5634, translation #9845604 by DJ_Saidez
- 家主は肩と腕に銃撃を受けた。The landlord was shot in the shoulder and arm.Tatoeba #9288928 by cafe, translation #9288930 by cafe
- 店子は毎月末に大家に家賃を払わなければならない。The tenant must pay the landlord the rent at the end of each month.This sentence shows a tenant paying rent to a landlord using the form 大家.Tatoeba #1627095 by mookeee, translation #1587841 by Grim_fandango
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are discussing a leaky faucet in their apartment.
- 健太 Kenta大家さんに連絡した？Ooyasan ni renraku shita?Did you contact the landlord?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、さっきメールしたよ。Un, sakki mēru shita yo.Yes, I emailed them a while ago.
- 健太 Kenta大家さんはすぐに来るかな。Ooyasan wa sugu ni kuru kana.I wonder if the landlord will come soon.
- 陽葵 Himariたぶん明日には来ると思う。Tabun ashita ni wa kuru to omou.I think they'll probably come tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “landlord” translations and entries 大家, 家主, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
