四よ畳じょう半はん

noun

four-and-a-half tatami mats; four-and-a-half-mat room

Refers to the size of a room measured in tatami mats, or the room itself. A classic small Japanese room size, often associated with student lodgings or humble living.

• 彼かれは四よ畳じょう半はんのアパートに住すんでいる。

  He lives in a four-and-a-half-mat apartment.

• 四よ畳じょう半はんの部屋へやは狭せまいが、落おち着つく。

  A four-and-a-half-mat room is small, but it feels cozy.

noun

small room for assignations; love nest

Historically, a small room used for secret meetings or romantic encounters. This usage is now somewhat dated and literary, often evoking a sense of nostalgia or seediness.

• その小しょう説せつでは、四よ畳じょう半はんが密みっ会かいの場ばとして描えがかれている。

  In that novel, a four-and-a-half-mat room is depicted as a place for secret meetings.