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When referring to a room (in a building), what is the difference in usage, if
any?  
I looked up the definitions and checked some sample phrases, but I could not
see any real difference.  
I usually read or use 部屋, but I came across this term [一室]{いっしつ} meaning "one
room". So I am wondering what the difference is.
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2013-03-08T22:10:04.003
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2013-03-08T23:27:55.460
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question
meaning word-choice nuances
What is the difference between 部屋 and 室?
I think that 部屋 usually refers to a room in a house/apartment, where someone
resides. 室 is somewhat broader and often refers to a room with a particular
function.

This seems to be reflected in the names of the rooms in a house/apartment:

**Rooms with a particular function**

  * 寝室
  * 客室
  * 地下室

**Rooms that are lived in**

  * 子供部屋
  * 仕事部屋
  * おもちゃ[部屋]{べや} _or_ 遊び部屋

In other buildings, too, special-purpose rooms usually end in [室]{しつ}, e.g.
事務室, 図書室, 洗濯室, 音楽室. (Also cf. 和室 "Japanese-style room".) Maybe that is just
because 室, which is 音読み, sounds more formal than 部屋, which is 訓読み. For
example, a public building won't have any 部屋, only rooms with a description
(like 演奏室) or a number.

If your rooms are numbered, they are usually numbered as 132[号室]{ごうしつ}, but
you usually count rooms as [一]{ひと}[部屋]{へや}, etc.

Note that 室 is a bit broader than the English "room". 132号室 could be a small
apartment, consisting of several rooms. I think of 室 as anything that has one
door from a hallway.

One last remark would be that I talked about the difference between 部屋 and 室
_as suffix_. But in conversational Japanese, I would say that 室 works almost
exclusively as suffix (or prefix), whereas 部屋 is a word that can be used by
itself to refer to a room. So if you want to say "I entered the room", or
anything similar (i.e. without specifying which room), your choice will be
limited to 部屋 (unless you want to sound literary).
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answer