別荘

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 別荘 is a noun read べっそう, meaning a vacation home or villa kept separately from one's primary residence.
• Basic usage: Use 湖のそばにある別荘 for its location and 別荘の屋根を修理する for repairing part of the building.
  • 叔父の別荘は静かな湖のそばにあります。 says that an uncle's vacation home stands beside a quiet lake; 夏休みに古い別荘の屋根を修理しました。 describes repairing the roof of an old vacation home during summer vacation.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 湖のそばにある
  • に marks the lakeside as the villa's location.
• 別荘の屋根
  • の links the repaired roof to the vacation home.
• 別荘 and a primary residence
  • 別荘 is a separate home for vacations or temporary stays, not the main everyday residence.