一居室: how many rooms?

[Lu]

In the story I'm currently translating, one of the main characters rents an 一居室 in Beijing. Now I'm not sure whether 一居室 means it's a studio (one-room apartment, where the bed is in the living room) or a two-room apartment (one living room, one bedroom). Jukuu and Youdao are conflicted on this and give me both translations. I think it's a studio, but now I'm not sure anymore.

 

Thanks for any help!

[Shelley]

If you type 1 room apartment in to Google and Google images you get lots of results that seem to me to mean one bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen/living room.

 

Maybe if you think of it as 1 bedroom apartment as apposed to 1 room apartment it makes more sense. .

 

I think the way they work it out is the kitchen/living room and the bathroom are assumed and the number of rooms means how many bedrooms.

 

I am no expert but it seems to make sense.

[skylee]

Take a look http://m.1688.com/shengyijing/3297955.html

[Lu]

Skylee, thanks, that's exactly my question but somehow I can't see the answer on that site? Not sure if it's my internet configurations or I'm just overlooking it.

 

Shelley: not sure about the English, but I'm translating into Dutch and in Dutch there is a clear difference between an apartment with 1 living room + one bedroom (that's a tweekamerappartement = two-room apartment) and an apartment with just one combined room (eenkamerappartement or studio). There are probably plenty of people who confuse the two, but the words have different meanings so I need to make sure I choose correctly.

[Shelley]

In English the word apartment implies more than one room. All in one room in UK is a bedsitter (bed/sitting room) or studio flat.

 

Dictionary definition for apartment:

 

suite (of rooms), set of rooms, rooms, chambers;

living quarters, accommodation

 

 

I think this would indicate if the word apartment is used it is more than one room.

[skylee]

Take a look at the picture

Hope it helps.