町家

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
町	家
まち Grade: 1	や Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
町屋

町家 (machiya, chōka): the Tōmatsu House from Funairi-chō, Nagoya is an example of a large traditional Japanese townhouse.

Compound of 町 (machi, “town”) +‎ 家 (ya, “family, household; house”).

Appears in texts from the late 1100s.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) まちや [màchíyá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ma̠t͡ɕija̠]

Noun

町(まち)家(や) • (machiya) 

1. a traditional Japanese townhouse (historically, often a merchant's residence)
2. a merchant household

Derived terms

• 京町家(きょうまちや) (kyō-machiya): Kyoto townhouse

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
町	家
ちょう Grade: 1	か Grade: 2
goon	kan’on

A coinage in Japan from Middle Chinese-derived roots, as a compound of 町 (chō, “town”) +‎ 家 (ka, “family, household; house”).

Appears in texts from the late 1700s.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ちょ​ーか [chóꜜòkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [t͡ɕo̞ːka̠]

Noun

町(ちょう)家(か) • (chōka) ^{←ちやうか (tyauka)?}

1. a traditional Japanese townhouse (historically, often a merchant's residence)
2. a merchant household

Usage notes

The machiya reading appears to be more common.

Further reading

• Entry in Britannica Japan (in Japanese)