Welcome to Episode 14 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

In this episode, Saki shares another classic mishap from her foreign intern: he proudly texted his family back home "I'm living in a MANSION in Japan!" and they FREAKED OUT — "Did you suddenly get rich?!" "Did you find a wife?!" "Did you become a CEO?!" Because in English, "mansion" means a huge luxury estate. But in Japan, it's just a regular apartment building.

Haruka breaks down one of Japan's most confusing wasei-eigo (Japanese-made English): the difference between Japanese「マンション」 and English "mansion." You'll learn the historical reason why Japan started using "mansion" this way in the 1960s, the surprising distinction between 「マンション」 and 「アパート」 in Japanese, and the safer formal term 「集合住宅」(shuugou juutaku) that avoids all confusion.

Master this and you'll never accidentally make your overseas family think you've become a millionaire.

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・アパート (アパート) - In Japanese, this typically refers to a wood or light-steel framed apartment building of about 2 stories. Note: English "apartment" covers any rental residence regardless of floor count or material, so the range is broader. In Japan, apartments (アパート) are generally cheaper and rarely have elevators, distinguishing them from "manshon" (マンション).

・集合住宅 (しゅうごうじゅうたく) - A formal term encompassing all types of multi-unit residential buildings — including manshon, apaato, and danchi. Used in news, legal documents, and formal contexts. A useful term when explaining housing to foreigners to avoid misunderstandings. Equivalent to "multi-unit housing" or "residential building" in English.

・勘違い (かんちがい) - To misunderstand or mistakenly believe something. Equivalent to "misunderstanding" or "mistakenly believe." A go-to phrase in conversation when softly admitting your own error — like "勘違いしてた、ごめん" (I had it wrong, sorry). It carries a lighter nuance than 「間違えた」, allowing you to admit mistakes while preserving dignity.

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