Meaning
The kanji 屋 carries the core meanings of roof, room, house, and shop. In modern Japanese, its most important function is as a suffix attached to nouns — indicating a type of store or someone working in a particular trade. 本屋 is a bookstore, 魚屋 is a fish shop, 肉屋 is a butcher. Mastering this suffix unlocks dozens of shop names and job titles you'll encounter every day in Japan.
Etymologically, 屋 is composed of the radical 尸 (shikabane), which originally depicted a person lying down or a sloping roof shape, combined with 至 (itaru), meaning "to arrive." The pictographic idea: a place you arrive at and rest under a roof — a dwelling, a shelter, a shop. The concept gradually broadened from "a structure with a roof" to any establishment providing goods or services.
Japanese children learn 屋 in Grade 3 of elementary school. It has 9 strokes and belongs to the 尸 radical group. You'll spot it on shop signs, in addresses, and on menus across every Japanese city — making it one of the most practical kanji to recognize at N4.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi reading of 屋 is オク (oku). It shows up in formal compounds related to building structure — rooftops, interiors, exteriors. You'll rarely hear it in casual conversation, but it's common in written Japanese and set vocabulary.
- 屋上 (okujō) — rooftop, roof terrace
- 屋外 (okugai) — outdoor, outside a building
- 屋内 (okunai) — indoor, inside a building
- 家屋 (kaoku) — house, dwelling, residential building
- 屋根 (yane) — roof (note: kun'yomi や + ね)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi reading is や (ya) — far more common in everyday speech. As a standalone word, ya once meant "shop" in classical and poetic Japanese. Today, its main role is as a suffix: attach it to a noun and you get the name of a shop selling that item, or a person specializing in it. It's one of the first patterns worth memorizing at N4.
- 部屋 (heya) — room (inside a house or apartment)
- 本屋 (hon'ya) — bookstore
- 花屋 (hanaya) — flower shop, florist
- 肉屋 (nikuya) — butcher shop
- 小屋 (koya) — hut, shed, small cabin
Common Words & Compounds
屋 appears in a wide variety of everyday words, especially in shop and occupation names. Here they are by theme.
Shops and Stores (〜屋 suffix):
- 本屋 (hon'ya) — bookstore
- 魚屋 (sakanaya) — fish shop, fishmonger
- 肉屋 (nikuya) — butcher shop
- 花屋 (hanaya) — flower shop, florist
- 八百屋 (yaoya) — greengrocer, vegetable shop
- 薬屋 (kusuriya) — pharmacy, drugstore
- 宿屋 (yadoya) — inn, traditional lodging
- おもちゃ屋 (omochaya) — toy store
Rooms and Spaces:
- 部屋 (heya) — room
- 小屋 (koya) — hut, shed, kennel
- 家屋 (kaoku) — house, dwelling
Buildings and Architecture:
- 屋根 (yane) — roof
- 屋上 (okujō) — rooftop
- 屋外 (okugai) — outdoors
- 屋内 (okunai) — indoors
Example Sentences
あの本屋は駅の近くにあります。
Ano hon'ya wa eki no chikaku ni arimasu.
That bookstore is near the train station.
わたしの部屋はとても小さいです。
Watashi no heya wa totemo chiisai desu.
My room is very small.
花屋でバラを買いました。
Hanaya de bara wo kaimashita.
I bought roses at the flower shop.
屋上から富士山が見えます。
Okujō kara Fujisan ga miemasu.
You can see Mount Fuji from the rooftop.
八百屋のおじさんはとても親切です。
Yaoya no ojisan wa totemo shinsetsu desu.
The man at the vegetable shop is very kind.
子供たちは屋内プールで泳いでいます。
Kodomotachi wa okunai pūru de oyoide imasu.
The children are swimming in the indoor pool.
この家屋は百年以上前に建てられました。
Kono kaoku wa hyakunen ijō mae ni tateraremashita.
This house was built more than a hundred years ago.
彼女の部屋にはたくさんの本があります。
Kanojo no heya ni wa takusan no hon ga arimasu.
There are many books in her room.
薬屋はどこですか。
Kusuriya wa doko desu ka.
Where is the pharmacy?
強い風で屋根が壊れてしまいました。
Tsuyoi kaze de yane ga kowarete shimaimashita.
The roof was damaged by the strong wind.
Related Kanji
- 室 — Room, Chamber (Kanji N4)
- 病 — Sickness, Illness, Disease (Kanji N4)
- 便 — Convenience, Facility, Communication (Kanji N4)
- 飯 — Meal, Cooked Rice, Food (Kanji N4)
- 建 — Build, Construct, Establish (Kanji N4)
- 待 — Wait, Await, Expect (Kanji N4)
Memory Tip
Picture a person lying under a sloped roof. The top part of the kanji (尸) looks like a roof with an overhang; the bottom (至) means "to arrive" — you reach home and rest beneath it. Now extend that image to a market stall: a roof over goods for sale. Walk down any Japanese shopping street and count the signs ending in 屋 — 本屋, 花屋, 肉屋. If it ends in や, something's for sale there.