ペンション

ぺんしょん

noun

pension; small Western-style guesthouse

1. pension; small Western-style guesthouse or lodge

A small, family-run accommodation in a Western architectural style, typically found in resort or mountainous areas of Japan. Often includes home-cooked meals and has a cozy, personal atmosphere. Borrowed from French 'pension'.

高原(こうげん)のペンションに泊(と)まった。

I stayed at a pension in the highlands.

このペンションは料理(りょうり)が美味(おい)しいと評判(ひょうばん)だ。

This pension has a reputation for great food.

スキー場(じょう)の近(ちか)くにある小(ちい)さなペンションを予約(よやく)した。

I booked a small pension near the ski resort.

Usage

Refers specifically to small, often family-run lodgings with Western-style architecture and furnishings, popular in mountain and resort areas from the 1970s-1990s. Unlike 旅館(りょかん) (Japanese-style inn), a ペンション has beds rather than futons, and serves Western-style cuisine. The word comes from French 'pension' (boarding house), not English 'pension' (retirement fund).

Common collocations

ペンションに泊(と)まる (to stay at a pension)
ペンションのオーナー (pension owner)
高原(こうげん)のペンション (a highland pension)

Similar words

旅館(りょかん): Japanese-style inn — traditional Japanese accommodations with tatami rooms
民宿(みんしゅく): minshuku — a Japanese-style family-run inn, more affordable and casual than a 旅館(りょかん)
ロッジ: lodge — similar concept but often simpler or more rustic

Related Words

Related: 旅館(りょかん) (Japanese-style inn)

Related: 民宿(みんしゅく) (family-run inn)

general

Added 2026.3.9 15:20 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

15500/15998_penshon