N4 Vocabulary: Home & objects — 24 words with memory tricks

2026-08-04 · Memoro

This lesson gathers 24 N4 words about the Japanese home and its objects: traditional fittings (畳 tatami, 押し入れ closet, 布団 futon), utilities (水道 water supply, 電灯 electric light, 冷房/暖房) and things you wear (指輪, 手袋, 下着, 着物). Many are verb compounds — learn the parts and the meaning follows.

お宅

おたく

otaku

(someone else's) house; home -- polite word for 家 (いえ) --

💡 宅 = residence → someone else's home, the polite word for 家. otaku — yes, the source of the word "otaku".

住所

じゅうしょ

jūsho

address; place of residence

💡 住 (reside) + 所 (place) → address. jūsho.

屋上

おくじょう

okujō

rooftop

💡 屋 (roof, building) + 上 (above) → rooftop. okujō.

壁

かべ

kabe

wall

💡 壁 = wall (of a room). kabe.

棚

たな

tana

shelves, rack

💡 tana = shelf, rack. Note the 木 (wood) radical — a plank on the wall.

引き出し

ひきだし

hikidashi

drawer

💡 引く (pull) + 出す (take out) → a drawer. hikidashi. Opposite of 押し入れ.

押し入れ

おしいれ

oshiire

closet

💡 押す (push) + 入れる (put in) → the Japanese closet you push bedding into. oshiire.

布団

ふとん

futon

💡 布 (cloth) + 団 (bundle) → futon, the floor bedding you fold into the 押し入れ each morning. futon.

畳

たたみ

tatami

tatami mat (Japanese straw mat)

💡 From 畳む (tatamu, to fold/stack) → tatami mat. tatami — also the unit for room size (6畳 = six mats).

カーテン

kāten

curtain

💡 From "curtain". kāten.

ガラス

garasu

glass, pane

💡 From Dutch glas → glass, a pane. garasu. Not グラス (gurasu = a drinking glass).

鏡

かがみ

kagami

mirror

💡 鏡 = mirror. kagami — the same kanji in 眼鏡 (megane, glasses).

電灯

でんとう

dentō

electric light

💡 電 (electric) + 灯 (lamp) → electric light. dentō.

冷房

れいぼう

reibō

cooling, air conditioning

💡 冷 (cool) + 房 (room) → air conditioning (cooling). reibō.

暖房

だんぼう

danbō

heating

💡 暖 (warm, as in 暖かい) + 房 (room) → heating. danbō.

水道

すいどう

suidō

water service, water line

💡 水 (water) + 道 (way) → water supply, tap water. suidō.

ガス

gasu

gas

💡 From "gas" → gas for cooking and heating. gasu. Related: ガソリン (petrol).

道具

どうぐ

dōgu

tool

💡 道 (way) + 具 (implement) → tool, utensil. dōgu.

ごみ

gomi

trash, garbage

💡 gomi = rubbish, trash. Learn the set: ごみ箱 (bin), ごみを出す (take the rubbish out).

故障

こしょう

koshō

breakdown

💡 故 (mishap) + 障 (hinder) → a breakdown, malfunction (machines). koshō.

指輪

ゆびわ

yubiwa

(finger) ring

💡 指 (finger) + 輪 (ring, wheel) → a ring for the finger. yubiwa.

手袋

てぶくろ

tebukuro

glove(s)

💡 手 (hand) + 袋 (bag) → bags for your hands = gloves. tebukuro.

下着

したぎ

shitagi

underwear

💡 下 (under) + 着 (wear) → underwear. shitagi. Opposite: 上着 (uwagi, outer jacket).

着物

きもの

kimono

kimono; Japanese traditional dress

💡 着る (to wear) + 物 (thing) → "the thing you wear" = kimono. kimono.

Memory tricks

Verb compounds you can decode: 引き出し = 引く (pull) + 出す (put out) → a drawer you pull out; 押し入れ = 押す (push) + 入れる (put in) → the closet you push things into. A neat opposite pair.
冷房 / 暖房 share 房 (room): swap 冷 (cold) for 暖 (warm) to go from air conditioning to heating.
Compounds with 所 / 上: 住所 = 住 (live) + 所 (place) → address; 屋上 = 屋 (roof) + 上 (top) → rooftop.
The 着 (wear) family: 着物 (thing to wear → kimono), 下着 (worn underneath → underwear), 上着 (outer garment). All from 着る (kiru, to wear).
Katakana trap: ガラス (garasu) = glass the material, グラス (gurasu) = a drinking glass. One character apart — drill both with spaced repetition in Memoro.

→ See all N4 Home & objects vocabulary

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