Minpaku
/ˈmɪn.pɑː.kuː/noun
A Japanese term for short-term lodging provided in a private residence, often through a home-sharing service.
Did you know?Japan’s 2018 Minpaku Law formally legalized and regulated private-home lodging, transforming a traditional practice into a modern accommodation category.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
民泊
“The written compound combining 民, “people,” with 泊, “to stay overnight” or “to lodge.””
Early Japanese Sino-Japanese reading
Japanese
民泊（みんぱく）
“A compound literally describing lodging among or by ordinary people.”
20th Century
Japanese
minpaku
“A shortened modern term for accommodation in a private home, especially as distinct from hotels and ryokan.”
2010s
Japanese
民泊
“Private-home lodging associated with online home-sharing platforms and tourism growth.”
2018
Japanese/English
Minpaku
“A widely used English loanword in discussions of Japan’s Private Lodging Business Act and regulated home-sharing.”