マンション

• Reading: マンション
• Romaji: manshon
• Pronunciation: /maɴ.ɕoɴ/

Meaning

Condominium; apartment building. A mid or high-rise concrete residential building.

A katakana loanword from English 'mansion,' but with a very different meaning. In Japanese, マンション refers to a reinforced concrete apartment building, typically with better construction and amenities than an アパート. It does not mean a large house as in English. This is a classic example of a 'false friend' between Japanese and English.

Examples

1. 新しいマンションに引っ越しました。 I moved into a new condominium.
2. このマンションは駅からとても近いです。 This condominium is very close to the station.
3. マンションの十階から富士山が見えます。 You can see Mt. Fuji from the tenth floor of the condominium.

Usage Guide

Context: housing, real estate, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'mansion' but used with a completely different meaning. In Japanese, it came to denote upscale apartment buildings, in contrast to the cheaper アパート.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal