noun
young adult living at home; dependent
Refers to a young adult who remains living with their parents, often implying dependence. Cross-referenced with 部屋住み.
See also: 部屋住み
彼は三十歳になっても部屋子のままだ。
He is still a dependent living at home even at thirty.
noun
female servant to a lady-in-waiting (Edo period)
Historical term for a female servant working in the inner quarters of a lord's residence during the Edo period. Cross-referenced with 部屋方.
See also: 部屋方
江戸時代、大奥では部屋子が多くの雑用をこなしていた。
During the Edo period, female servants called 部屋子 performed various chores in the inner palace.
noun
freeloader in a samurai's house
Historical term for a person who lived in a samurai's residence without a formal position, essentially a dependent or hanger-on.
あの侍の屋敷には部屋子が何人もいたという。
It is said that there were several freeloaders living in that samurai's residence.
noun
young kabuki actor in service (Edo period)
Historical term for a young kabuki actor who served a master during the Edo period.
その部屋子は師匠のもとで厳しい修行を積んだ。
That young kabuki actor underwent rigorous training under his master.
部屋方 is a related term for a servant in a lord's inner quarters, but 部屋子 specifically refers to a female servant under a lady-in-waiting.
Compound of 部屋 (へや, 'room') and 子 (こ, 'child' or 'person'), literally 'room person'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term came to denote various types of dependents or servants associated with a household or master.