家や主ぬし

also: いえぬし · いえあるじ

や

ぬ

し

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

landlord; landlady

Only with reading やぬし / いえぬし

Refers to the owner of a rented property, typically an apartment or house, from the tenant's perspective.

家や主ぬしに家や賃ちんを払はらう。
I pay the rent to the landlord.
隣となりの部屋へやの家や主ぬしはとても親しん

切せつ

だ

。

The landlord of the next room is very kind.

2

noun

house owner; homeowner; head of household

Refers to the person who owns the house they live in, or the head of a household. Not necessarily a landlord.

彼かれはその家いえの家や主ぬしだ。
He is the owner of that house.
家や主ぬしとして、家か族ぞくを守まもる責せき任にんがある。
As the head of the household, he has a responsibility to protect his family.

Written forms

家主Usage100%
- やぬし
  Standard kanji spelling. The reading やぬし is the most common and widely understood.
- いえぬし
  Less common reading, but still encountered. Can be used for both landlord and house owner senses.
- いえあるじ
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete kana reading. Not used in modern Japanese.
ヤヌシUsage<1%
いえぬし
いえあるじ
out-dated reading

Kanji

家house, home, family
主lord, chief, master

Similar words

大おお家や
大家 specifically means landlord or landlady, often of an apartment building, and is more common in rental contexts than 家主. 家主 can also mean homeowner or head of household.
持もち家いえ
持ち家 refers to a house one owns (as opposed to renting), while 家主 refers to the person who owns the house.

Etymology

Compound of 家 (house) and 主 (master, owner). The reading やぬし uses the kun'yomi for both characters, while いえぬし and いえあるじ are alternative kun'yomi readings.