下宿

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 下宿 is read as げしゅく and is a noun and suru-verb for lodging in someone else’s home or a boarding arrangement, and it can also name the lodging itself.
• Basic usage: Use 下宿を探す for seeking a place and 親戚の家に下宿する for boarding at a relative’s home.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Place and living arrangement
  • Depending on context, 下宿 is the lodging being sought or the arrangement of living in another household.
• Contrast with 宿泊
  • 宿泊 broadly covers a temporary overnight stay, while 下宿 suggests living in rented or provided quarters for a period, often as a student.