JLPT N3 home and daily life vocabulary covers 43 essential words — housing terms, home appliances, and daily-routine vocabulary needed for describing apartment living, household chores, and everyday life in Japan.

This article is part of our JLPT N3 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 43 words with the N3 Home & Daily Life deck in Onigiri Anki.

Housing & Rooms (10)

These words describe housing types and rooms — essential vocabulary for apartment-hunting and describing where you live.

rent家賃yachin

家賃が高いです。 — The rent is high.

moving house引っ越しhikkoshi

来月、引っ越しをします。 — I am moving house next month.

housing住宅juutaku

この住宅は駅に近くて便利です。 — This housing is convenient for the station.

apartment buildingマンションmanshon

あのマンションはとても大きいです。 — That apartment building is very big.

living room居間ima

居間で話しました。 — We talked in the living room.

bedroom寝室shinshitsu

姉は寝室をそうじしています。 — My sister is cleaning the bedroom.

balconyベランダberanda

私はふだんベランダで洗濯物をほします。 — I usually dry my laundry on the balcony.

washroom洗面所senmenjo

洗面所をきれいにしました。 — I cleaned the washroom.

power outage停電teiden

停電は二時間続きました。 — The power outage lasted for two hours.

repair修理shuuri

修理に時間がかかりました。 — The repair took a long time.

Appliances & Utilities (10)

Home appliance vocabulary appears in N3 passages about daily routines, repairs, and household troubleshooting.

vacuum cleaner掃除機soujiki

新しい掃除機を買いました。 — I bought a new vacuum cleaner.

washing machine洗濯機sentakuki

洗濯機が今動いています。 — The washing machine is running now.

air conditionerエアコンeakon

エアコンをつけてください。 — Please turn on the air conditioner.

light bulb電球denkyuu

部屋の電球が切れました。 — The light bulb in my room burned out.

furniture家具kagu

この家具は動かしやすいです。 — This furniture is easy to move.

breakdown故障koshou

機械が故障しました。 — The machine has broken down.

power supply電源dengen

電源を切ってください。 — Please turn off the power supply.

battery電池denchi

カメラの電池が切れました。 — The battery of my camera is dead.

outletコンセントkonsento

コンセントに差してください。 — Please plug it into the outlet.

tableware食器shokki

夕食のあとで食器を洗ってください。 — Please wash the tableware after dinner.

Daily Routines (10)

These words describe the rhythm of daily life — chores, comings and goings, and home-related concepts.

daily life日常nichijou

日常はとても忙しいです。 — Daily life is very busy.

household chores家事kaji

毎朝、家事を手伝います。 — I help with housework every morning.

daily necessities日用品nichiyouhin

店で日用品を買いました。 — I bought daily necessities at the store.

tidying up整理seiri

今日は部屋の整理をしています。 — I am tidying up my room today.

returning home帰宅kitaku

私は七時に帰宅しました。 — I got home at seven.

away from home留守rusu

母は今、留守です。 — My mother is away from home now.

delivery宅配takuhai

荷物は明日宅配されます。 — The package will be delivered tomorrow.

living / life暮らしkurashi

暮らしが変わりました。 — My way of living changed.

home / family家庭katei

家庭は大切です。 — Family is important.

moldカビkabi

お風呂のかべにカビがありました。 — There was mold on the bathroom wall.

家事 vs 家庭: Similar Kanji, Different Meaning

家事 (kaji) means household chores — cooking, cleaning, laundry. 家庭 (katei) means home/family as a social unit — the household itself. Both share 家 (ie, house/home) but combine with different second kanji (事 = matter, 庭 = garden/courtyard) to form distinct meanings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 帰宅 and 帰る?

帰る (kaeru) is the general verb "to go home/return," used in everyday speech. 帰宅 (kitaku) is a more formal noun/suru-verb meaning the same thing, often used in written or formal contexts — news reports, work reports.

Is マンション the same as an English "mansion"?

No — マンション (manshon) in Japanese refers to a mid-to-high-rise apartment building, not a large luxury house. This is a classic false friend for English speakers learning Japanese.

Practice All 43 N3 Home & Daily Life Words

Import the N3 Home & Daily Life deck into Onigiri Anki and master household vocabulary with spaced repetition.

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JLPT N3 Home & Daily Life Vocabulary: 43 Essential Words (2026)