What's the difference? うち vs いえ

うち vs. いえ

Both of these words mean “house” but they carry a slightly different nuance, similar to the difference between “house” and “home” in English.

いえ = house うち = home; can also mean “our” or “my”

Sometimes the two are interchangeable. For instance, you can say either うちに帰ります orいえに帰ります to express going home. However, you can’t use いえ in the following expressions:

Family: うちの子供 うちのお母さん うちのお父さん　

uchi no kodomo uchi no okāsan uchi no otōsan

Organizations: うちの会社 うちの学校 うちのグループ

uchi no kaisha uchi no gakkō uchi no gurūpu

People around you: うちの部長 うちの先生 うちのメンバー

uchi no buchō uchi no sensei uchi no menbā

English speakers use my for these expressions, which equates to 私の in Japanese; but this sounds too too personal or familiar for Japanese people.