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別荘 (べっそう, bessou) Japanese meaning: holiday house | Kotomora

別べっ荘そう

べ

っ

そ

う

Common word›JLPTN2›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

holiday house; vacation home; villa

A second home used for vacations, often in a resort area or countryside.

夏なつ休やすみに軽かる井い沢ざわの別べっ荘そうで過すごした。

We spent the summer vacation at our villa in Karuizawa.

彼かれは海うみの近ちかくに別べっ荘そうを買かった。

He bought a vacation home near the sea.

2

Colloquial, often used humorously or sarcastically to refer to a prison as a 'vacation home'.

あいつは今いま、別べっ荘そうにいるらしいよ。
I hear he's in the 'villa' (prison) now.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に別べっ荘そうを持もつto own a vacation home in a place
彼かれは軽かる井い沢ざわに別べっ荘そうを持もっている。
He owns a vacation home in Karuizawa.
別べっ荘そうで過すごすto spend time at a vacation home
夏なつ休やすみは湖こ畔はんの別べっ荘そうで過すごした。
I spent summer vacation at our lakeside villa.
別べっ荘そうを建たてるto build a vacation home
定てい年ねん後ごに海うみ辺べに別べっ荘そうを建たてる計けい画かくだ。
He plans to build a beach house after retirement.

Kanji

別separate, branch off, diverge
荘villa, inn, cottage

Related words· 8

別べっ宅たく sense 1
別荘 specifically means a vacation home in a resort or rural area, while 別宅 is a broader term for any second residence, not necessarily for leisure.
別べっ邸てい sense 1
別邸 is a formal, often grander term for a separate residence, whereas 別荘 is the everyday word for a vacation home.
山さん荘そう sense 1
山荘 refers specifically to a mountain lodge or cabin, while 別荘 covers any vacation home regardless of location.
寮りょうN4
別荘 is the modern standard word for a villa or country house, replacing the archaic villa sense of 寮.

Show 4 more

ビラ
別荘 is the general Japanese word for any privately owned holiday home, while ビラ suggests a stylish, resort-style Western villa.
荘しょう
別荘 is the everyday word for a vacation villa or second home, while 荘 alone is a more formal or historical term for a manor or villa.
コテージ
別荘 refers to a second home for vacations that is often larger and more permanent, while コテージ is a small, simple cottage-style house.
保ほ養よう所じょ
別荘 is a privately owned vacation home for an individual or family, while 保養所 is a facility maintained by a company or group for its members.

Opposites

本ほん宅たく sense 1
本宅 is one's main, permanent residence, in contrast to 別荘, a secondary home used only occasionally.

Counted with

棟むね
Counts whole buildings (one roof); the everyday native reading.
棟とうN1
Counts whole buildings; the formal reading used in official contexts like real-estate listings and hospitals.

Word family

別べっ荘そう地ち
holiday home area; villa district
別べっ荘そう番ばん
caretaker of a villa
貸かし別べっ荘そう
vacation rental; holiday rental home

Etymology

Compound of 別 (separate, another) and 荘 (villa, manor). The colloquial prison sense is a sarcastic extension of the 'vacation home' meaning.