Japanese with Manga

Staying with relatives with 〜先

Vocabulary Explanation: Place where something is done with 〜先

Manga panel from ふらいんぐうぃっち showing example of Staying with relatives with 〜先.
ふらいんぐうぃっち » Volume 3 » Page 34

Makoto introduces Chinatsu and Kei to Anzu while the group is meeting one another.

真琴(まこと):
「こっちの二人(ふたり)は居候(いそうろう)先(さき)の親戚(しんせき)で千夏(ちなつ)ちゃんと圭(けい)くんです」
“These two are the relatives I'm staying with, Chinatsu-chan and Kei-kun.”
千夏(ちなつ):
「こんにちはっ！」
“Hello!”
圭くん(けい):
「どうも」
“Hi.”
杏子(あんず):
「椎名(しいな)杏子(あんず)です　よろしく」
“I'm Shiina Anzu. Nice to meet you.”

Key Points

1居候(いそうろう)先(さき) = “the place where someone is staying”
  • 〜先(さき) marks the place where something is done, so 居候(いそうろう)先(さき) means the home or household where someone is lodging.
  • 居候(いそうろう) adds the nuance of staying at someone else’s place and depending on their hospitality, not just staying there neutrally.
2居候(いそうろう)先(さき)の親戚(しんせき) = “the relatives I’m staying with”
  • The の links 居候(いそうろう)先(さき) to 親戚(しんせき), literally: the relatives of the place/household where I’m lodging.
  • In English, that becomes the relatives I’m staying with rather than a stiff literal phrasing like the relatives of my lodging place.
3Casual pointing word: こっち
  • こっち literally means this way / this side, but in conversation it often works like these two here when introducing nearby people.
  • ちゃん is an affectionate, informal suffix attached to names, used mainly for children, close friends, and family members.
  • 君(くん) is an honorific suffix used after names, typically for boys or men. It’s commonly used by teachers addressing male students, by friends among young people, or by superiors addressing junior colleagues, and can also be used for girls in childhood or casual contexts.

Vocabulary

(Live-in dependent)

居候(いそうろう) means someone who stays in another person’s home without paying for room and board. It can be translated as a freeloader or nonpaying lodger, with a nuance of depending on the host’s hospitality.

(Two people)

二人(ふたり) means that there are two people.

(Relative)

親戚(しんせき) means a relative or family relation. It is the standard modern word for extended kin.

See Also

ふらいんぐうぃっち © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.