1.
pouch, small bag
A small bag or case for carrying small items.
2.
porch (of a house)
The covered area just outside the front door of a house or building. This is a separate loanword, from English 'porch', and far less common than sense 1; it is mostly heard in house-building and real-estate language, above all in 玄関ポーチ.
In sense 1, ポーチ comes from English "pouch": a small bag or case, typically with a zipper, used to organize and carry small items.
Types
- 化粧ポーチ: cosmetics pouch (most common usage)
- ペンポーチ: pen case
- トラベルポーチ: travel organizer pouch
- ガジェットポーチ: gadget/electronics pouch
Common collocations
Watch out
English "pouch" and "porch" both become ポーチ in Japanese. Context separates them: a ポーチ you put things in is a pouch, while the ポーチ of a house, usually 玄関ポーチ, is a porch. In a Japanese house the porch is typically the small tiled step outside the front door, not a large veranda; for an open platform, ベランダ or テラス is used.