Translation guide
A small, dirty, poorly built house or shelter. In Japanese, the best equivalent depends on whether you emphasize shabbiness, size, or temporary nature.
Describing a small, dirty, poorly maintained dwelling.
The most direct equivalent for a dilapidated, run-down house. Often implies old and falling apart.
He lives in a hovel on the outskirts of town.
Literally 'rag house'. Emphasizes shabbiness and cheapness. Slightly more colloquial than あばら家.
That hovel looks like it could collapse at any moment.
Abandoned house. Focuses on being deserted rather than just shabby. Often used for ruins.
There was an old hovel in the woods.
Focusing on tiny size and poor construction, often temporary.
General word for hut or shack. Neutral; add adjectives like 汚い (dirty) or みすぼらしい (shabby) to match 'hovel'.
He lived in a dirty hovel in the woods.
A hastily built shack, often with posts driven directly into the ground. Conveys crude, temporary construction.
Loanword from 'barrack'. Refers to makeshift shacks or shanties, often in slums or construction sites.
Using 'hovel' metaphorically for a place that feels shabby or uncomfortable, not necessarily a separate building.
These can be used figuratively for an apartment or room that feels like a hovel.
This apartment is a real hovel.
Literally 'terrible place'. A flexible, colloquial way to call a place a dump or hovel.
His room is a hovel.
あばら家 emphasizes dilapidation and age. ぼろ家 emphasizes shabbiness and cheap materials. 小屋 is a neutral 'hut' and needs adjectives to convey the negative sense of 'hovel'.
Simply saying 家 (house) does not convey the negative meaning of 'hovel'. Always modify it or use a specific term.
The refugees were living in hovels.
スラム街にはバラックが並んでいる。
The slum is lined with hovels.