持(も)ち家(いえ)

持(も)ち家(いえ) refers to a home owned by the person who lives in it, as opposed to a rented one.

Forms

• 持(も)つ ("to own, hold") + 家(いえ) ("house") → 持(も)ち家(いえ)
• The 持(も)ち- prefix attaches to many words to mean "owned, in one's possession" (cf. 持(も)ち物(もの) "belongings," 持(も)ち株(かぶ) "the stock one holds").

Common collocations

• 持(も)ち家(いえ)を買(か)う / 手(て)に入(い)れる: to buy / acquire one's own home
• 持(も)ち家(いえ)に住(す)む: to live in an owned home
• 持(も)ち家(いえ)派(は): people who prefer owning over renting
• 持(も)ち家(いえ)率(りつ): home-ownership rate
• 持(も)ち家(いえ)か賃貸(ちんたい)か: "owning or renting" — a stock phrase in lifestyle and finance writing

Similar words

• 賃貸(ちんたい): rental, leased property — the standard antonym
• 自宅(じたく): one's own home/residence — focuses on "my home" regardless of ownership; can refer to a rented apartment as long as it is where you live
• 一戸建(いっこだ)て: detached house (single-family home) — often overlaps with 持(も)ち家(いえ) but specifies the building type rather than ownership
• マイホーム: "my home" (loanword) — almost synonymous with 持(も)ち家(いえ) in marketing copy, with a warmer, aspirational nuance

Usage

• The reading is もちいえ, not もちか or もちや. Some older or regional usage reads it as もちや, but もちいえ is now standard in mainstream media.
• In housing statistics, 持(も)ち家(いえ) typically encompasses both detached homes and condominiums owned outright.
• For the broader concept of owning vs. renting in real estate, the common stock phrase is 持(も)ち家(いえ)か賃貸(ちんたい)か ("to own or to rent"), seen in countless magazine articles and online debates.