どや

ど

や

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

cheap lodging; flophouse; doss-house

Colloquial term, originally an inversion of 宿 (やど). Refers to very cheap, often run-down accommodation, especially in areas like ドヤ街 (day-laborer districts).

Usage patterns

どやに泊とまるto stay the night at a doss-house
その日ひは金かねがなく、安やすいどやに泊とまった。
That day I had no money, so I stayed at a cheap flophouse.
どやで暮くらすto live in a doss-house
彼かれは仕し事ごとを失うしなってから、どやで暮くらしている。
Since losing his job, he has been living in a flophouse.

Related words

宿やどN3
宿 is the neutral, standard word for lodging or an inn, while どや is slang specifically for cheap, run-down flophouses.
木き賃ちん宿やど
木賃宿 is an older, more literary term for a cheap lodging house, whereas どや is the modern colloquial slang for the same kind of place.
簡かん易い宿しゅく泊はく所じょ
簡易宿泊所 is the formal, official term used in administrative contexts for cheap lodging facilities, while どや is the casual slang word for the same thing.

Don't confuse with

宿やど屋やN1
宿屋 just means an ordinary inn or guesthouse, while どや (an inversion of 宿/やど) specifically implies a cheap, squalid flophouse.

Written forms

どやUsage51%
Hiragana spelling is standard for this colloquial term.
ドヤUsage49%
Katakana spelling is also seen, often for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

Slang inversion of 宿 (やど), meaning lodging. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely arose in informal speech among day laborers or in working-class districts.