Japanese kanji 屋: roofs, rooms and shops

The idea

屋 has 9 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Read 屋根（やね） and 部屋（へや） as complete words: a character’s reading depends on the word.

Examples

• 屋根やねに雪ゆきがあります。There is snow on the roof.
• あの家いえの屋根やねは赤あかいです。The roof of that house is red.
• 畳たたみの部屋へやに入はいります。I enter the tatami room.
• 本屋ほんやで絵本えほんを買かいます。I buy a picture book at the bookshop.
• 庭にわに犬小屋いぬごやがあります。There is a doghouse in the garden.
• 花屋はなやで花はなを買かいます。I buy flowers at a flower shop.
• 屋上おくじょうから町まちを見みます。I look at the town from the rooftop.

Watch out

屋根 means roof, 部屋 means room, and 本屋 is a bookshop. 屋 can mark a shop, but a whole word’s meaning depends on context. Compare the shape of 屋 with 家. 屋上（おくじょう） is the rooftop; 屋根（やね） is the roof itself. 屋 is おく in 屋上.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 屋根 in hiragana.

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   やね

   屋根 is read やね. In context: There is snow on the roof.

2. Write the reading of 部屋 in hiragana.

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   へや

   部屋 is read へや. In context: I enter the tatami room.

3. Complete the missing kanji: ＿根（やね）［屋／家］.

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   屋

   屋 completes 屋根, read やね. In context: There is snow on the roof.

4. Write the reading of 屋上 in hiragana.

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   おくじょう

   屋上 is read おくじょう. In context: I look at the town from the rooftop.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 屋 from memory, and read 屋根 and 部屋 aloud. Then check their readings and make a sentence.