家 simplified
家 traditional · same
jiā
home · family · school of thought · nation
部首 bùshǒu · 宀 mián roof 10 笔画 bǐhuà strokes HSK 1 tone 1 · jiā
笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

家 jiā = 宀 mián (a roof — the "crown" radical representing shelter) + 豕 shǐ (a pig). A roof with a pig under it: a home. In ancient China, pigs were kept under the same roof as the family. The pig was the domestic animal par excellence — the sign of a self-sustaining household. 家 thus encodes: shelter + livestock = the self-sufficient family unit. This is not metaphor; it is archaeology.

The critical cultural expansion: 家 scales fractally. The household becomes the model for the state. Confucius taught: 修身、齐家、治国、平天下 — cultivate yourself → order your family → govern the state → bring peace to all under heaven. 家 is not merely a home; it is the original cell of social organization. 国家 guójiā (nation-state) = "country-family." In Chinese, the nation is literally the family scaled up. This is not merely linguistic — it structured centuries of governance, moral philosophy, and political expectation.

In Japanese: 家 is read ka / ie / ya — 家族 kazoku (family), 家 ie (house/home), 作家 sakka (writer — the same X+家 pattern as Chinese). The roof over the pig traveled intact across the sea, carrying its entire conceptual freight.

家人/家庭 jiārén / jiātíng The Family Unit
构词规律 gòucí guīlǜ · Pattern 家 + location/relation → family-home cluster
家 + 人 (person) = 家人 (family members)
家 + 庭 (courtyard) = 家庭 (family as institution)
家 + 乡 (native place) = 家乡 (hometown)
家 jiā home; family
N 名词 míngcí
The base word. Can mean the physical house or the family that inhabits it — often both at once. One of the first words any learner acquires, and one of the deepest in the entire language. The semantic compression of 家 is intentional: shelter and the people it shelters are not separate things.
我要回家了。
Wǒ yào huí jiā le.
I'm going home now.
他不在家。
Tā bú zài jiā.
He's not home.
家在哪里？
Jiā zài nǎlǐ?
Where is home?
语法 yǔfǎ · Grammar 家 alone = "home/family." 家里 jiālǐ = "at home; inside the family." The full arc: 在家 zài jiā (to be at home — state) → 回家 huí jiā (going home — direction) → 到家 dào jiā (arrived home — completion). Note that 我家 wǒ jiā can mean both "my home" (location) and "my family" (people).
家人 jiārén family members; one's family
N 名词 míngcí
家 jiā + 人 rén (person/people). The people of the home. More intimate and emotionally warm than the formal compound 家庭成员 (family members, bureaucratic). 家人 feels like "my people" — those who share your roof and your life.
家人都很健康。
Jiārén dōu hěn jiànkāng.
The whole family is healthy.
你的家人呢？
Nǐ de jiārén ne?
What about your family?
他把家人接来了。
Tā bǎ jiārén jiē lái le.
He brought his family here.
辨析 biànxī · Comparison 家人 (intimate, spoken) vs. 家庭成员 jiātíng chéngyuán (formal, administrative) vs. 亲人 qīnrén (loved ones — emotionally charged, often used in contexts of loss or longing). In casual speech, 家人 is overwhelmingly preferred.
家庭 jiātíng family (as institution); household
N 名词 míngcí
家 jiā + 庭 tíng (courtyard — the shared space of a household compound). More formal and institutional than bare 家. 家庭 treats the family as a social unit with structure and function. Appears in legal, sociological, and bureaucratic contexts. The courtyard (庭) is the communal space — where the family gathers, not where they sleep.
她来自一个幸福的家庭。
Tā láizì yīgè xìngfú de jiātíng.
She comes from a happy family.
单亲家庭越来越多。
Dānqīn jiātíng yuèláiyuè duō.
Single-parent families are increasingly common.
家庭作业还没做完。
Jiātíng zuòyè hái méi zuò wán.
The homework isn't done yet. (Lit. "household work")
词语 cíyǔ · Key Compounds 家庭收入 jiātíng shōurù (household income) · 家庭背景 jiātíng bèijǐng (family background) · 家庭生活 jiātíng shēnghuó (family life) · 家庭作业 jiātíng zuòyè (homework — lit. "household work," a calque of the domestic-education link in Confucian thought).
家乡 jiāxiāng hometown; native place
N 名词 míngcí
家 jiā + 乡 xiāng (countryside; native place — the rural origin point). The place where 家 was first made. Not merely an address but a place of origin: family roots, ancestral connections, formative landscape. Central to Chinese identity, deeply tied to concepts of belonging and longing. The emotion of 思念家乡 (missing one's hometown) is one of the defining themes of classical poetry.
我的家乡在四川。
Wǒ de jiāxiāng zài Sìchuān.
My hometown is in Sichuan.
他非常思念家乡。
Tā fēicháng sīniàn jiāxiāng.
He deeply misses his hometown.
家乡的味道是最好的。
Jiāxiāng de wèidào shì zuì hǎo de.
The taste of home is the best.
辨析 biànxī · 家乡 vs. 故乡 家乡 jiāxiāng = hometown (neutral, factual, common in speech). 故乡 gùxiāng = native land (literary, more emotionally charged — appears in poetry and formal writing). Both appear in Du Fu's famous line: 月是故乡明 (the moon is brightest over one's hometown).
回家 huí jiā to go home; to return home
V 动词 dòngcí
回 huí (to return) + 家 jiā (home). One of the most common V+location phrases in the language. The directional verb 回 indicates movement back toward an origin point — home as the natural destination of return, not merely a place you happen to go.
我得回家了。
Wǒ děi huí jiā le.
I have to go home.
他什么时候回家？
Tā shénme shíhòu huí jiā?
When is he coming home?
早点回家！
Zǎo diǎn huí jiā!
Come home early!
语法 yǔfǎ · Grammar The three-part arc: 回家 huí jiā (going home — direction) → 到家 dào jiā (arrived home — completion) → 在家 zài jiā (being at home — state). The distinction between 回 (return) and 去 (go) matters: 回家 carries the connotation of home as origin, not just destination.
国家/大家 guójiā / dàjiā The Scaling of 家 — Household to Nation
文化洞见 wénhuà dòngjiàn · Cultural Insight

The Confucian insight that the family and the state share the same logic — and the same character — is encoded directly in Chinese vocabulary. 国家 is one of the most revealing compound words in the language: the nation IS the family, scaled up. This is not merely linguistic — it structured centuries of Chinese governance and moral philosophy.

The progression: 家 (household) → 国家 (nation-state) → 天下 (all under heaven). At every scale, the same moral logic applies: cultivate virtue, maintain proper relationships, and the larger body will be ordered. A corrupt official was not just breaking a law — he was failing his family's obligations, scaled to the level of the state-family.

国家 guójiā nation; state; country
N 名词 míngcí
国 guó (country; kingdom) + 家 jiā (family; home). Literally: "country-family." The family logic applied to the largest political unit. The compound is inseparable — you cannot use 国 or 家 alone to mean "nation." The inseparability of the compound mirrors the inseparability of the nation from its family logic in classical Chinese thought.
为国家服务是光荣的。
Wèi guójiā fúwù shì guāngróng de.
Serving the nation is honorable.
国家利益高于一切。
Guójiā lìyì gāoyú yīqiè.
National interest is paramount.
这是一个伟大的国家。
Zhè shì yīgè wěidà de guójiā.
This is a great nation.
语域 yǔyù · Register 国家 is formal and weighty. In nationalist discourse, it carries the full moral weight of the Confucian state-family concept. Contrast: 国 alone in informal speech (这个国 = this country, colloquial) vs. 国家 in official rhetoric (为国家 = for the nation, formal/elevated).
大家 dàjiā everyone; everybody
N 名词 míngcí
大 dà (big; great) + 家 jiā (family). Literally: "big family." The warmth of addressing a group as "all of us — the big family." Extremely high frequency in speeches, classrooms, team settings, and any collective address. The warmth of 大家 over the clinical 所有人 (everyone, formal) is the difference between addressing family and addressing strangers.
大家好！
Dàjiā hǎo!
Hello everyone!
大家都同意吗？
Dàjiā dōu tóngyì ma?
Does everyone agree?
大家一起努力吧。
Dàjiā yīqǐ nǔlì ba.
Let's all work hard together.
辨析 biànxī · 大家 vs. 所有人 vs. 各位 大家 = warm, inclusive, collective (the big family — most common in speech). 所有人 suǒyǒu rén = every person (neutral, often legal or administrative). 各位 gè wèi = honorable guests/colleagues (formal address, typically in written or ceremonial contexts). Learn 大家 first; it covers 90% of everyday usage.
自家 zìjiā one's own family/people; one's own
N 名词 míngcí
自 zì (self; one's own) + 家 jiā (family; home). Marks something as belonging to or originating from one's own household. Central to the Chinese social concept of insiders vs. outsiders: 自家人 (one of our own) vs. 外人 wàirén (an outsider). Being called 自家人 by someone is a social signal that the barriers are down.
都是自家人，不用客气。
Dōu shì zìjiā rén, bù yòng kèqi.
We're all family here — no need to be polite.
这是自家种的菜。
Zhè shì zìjiā zhòng de cài.
These are vegetables we grew ourselves.
文化 wénhuà · Culture The insider/outsider distinction (自家人 vs. 外人) structures much of Chinese social interaction, business, and politics. 自家人 implies trust, reduced formality, and mutual obligation. 都是自家人 is the phrase that opens closed doors.
人家 rénjia other people; someone's home; (colloquial) I/me
N 名词 míngcí
人 rén (person) + 家 jiā (home; family). This single compound has three distinct uses in modern Mandarin: (1) other people in general; (2) someone's specific household; (3) an informal first-person pronoun used primarily by women, expressing mild protest or vulnerability. The neutral tone on 家 (rénjia, not rénjīa) marks the colloquial register.
别管人家的事。
Bié guǎn rénjia de shì.
Don't meddle in other people's business. (Use 1: other people)
去人家家里拜访要提前打招呼。
Qù rénjia jiālǐ bàifǎng yào tíqián dǎ zhāohū.
When visiting someone's home, let them know in advance. (Use 2: someone's home)
人家不知道嘛！
Rénjia bù zhīdào ma!
How would I know! (Use 3: colloquial 1st person)
语法 yǔfǎ · Grammar The three uses of 人家 are context-dependent. Use 3 (1st person) is distinctly colloquial and typically female — avoid in formal writing. It conveys a coy or plaintive self-reference not available with standard 我.
X+家 X + jiā Specialists & Masters — Making a Field Your Home
构词规律 gòucí guīlǜ · Pattern X + 家 = person who has made discipline X their "home"
This pattern creates professions, artists, scholars, and experts. The 家 suffix implies deep, sustained mastery — not just a job title but a calling. This exact pattern exists in Japanese: 作家 sakka (writer), 音楽家 ongakuka (musician), 科学者 → 科学家 — borrowed directly from Chinese and still functioning identically.
画家 huàjiā painter; visual artist
N 名词 míngcí
画 huà (to paint; to draw; a painting) + 家 jiā. One who has made painting their home. The 家 suffix elevates the painter from a craftsperson to a master — implying sustained creative commitment and a body of work, not merely technical skill.
他是位著名的画家。
Tā shì wèi zhùmíng de huàjiā.
He is a famous painter.
这幅画是哪位画家的作品？
Zhè fú huà shì nǎ wèi huàjiā de zuòpǐn?
Which artist's work is this painting?
作家 zuòjiā writer; author (literary)
N 名词 míngcí
作 zuò (to create; to make; to compose) + 家 jiā. Not just anyone who writes — implies literary seriousness and sustained creative output. The 家 suffix distinguishes this from 记者 jìzhě (journalist) or 编辑 biānjí (editor), which are professional roles without the mastercraft implication.
她是位年轻的作家。
Tā shì wèi niánqīng de zuòjiā.
She is a young writer.
这位作家的小说很受欢迎。
Zhè wèi zuòjiā de xiǎoshuō hěn shòu huānyíng.
This writer's novels are very popular.
辨析 biànxī · Comparison 作家 (literary writer) vs. 记者 jìzhě (journalist) vs. 编辑 biānjí (editor) vs. 诗人 shīrén (poet — uses 人, not 家). Key pattern: 家 implies mastery of a creative discipline; 者 implies a professional role; 人 implies a more general personal identity.
音乐家 yīnyuèjiā musician (mastery level); composer
N 名词 míngcí
音乐 yīnyuè (music) + 家 jiā. Implies serious, dedicated musical mastery — a composer, a concert performer, a conductor. Not a casual musician. Distinguished from 歌手 gēshǒu (singer/pop artist) by the 家 suffix implying depth, discipline, and classical standing.
他是一位伟大的音乐家。
Tā shì yīwèi wěidà de yīnyuèjiā.
He is a great musician.
贝多芬是世界著名的音乐家。
Bèiduōfēn shì shìjiè zhùmíng de yīnyuèjiā.
Beethoven is a world-famous musician.
科学家 kēxuéjiā scientist
N 名词 míngcí
科学 kēxué (science — lit. "the study of branches/categories") + 家 jiā. One who has made science their home. One of the highest-prestige 家 compounds in modern Chinese — the scientist occupying the role that the Confucian scholar-official held in the imperial era: the person who has devoted a life to a domain of knowledge.
她从小就想成为科学家。
Tā cóngxiǎo jiù xiǎng chéngwéi kēxuéjiā.
She has wanted to be a scientist since childhood.
这项发现是科学家多年研究的成果。
Zhè xiàng fāxiàn shì kēxuéjiā duōnián yánjiū de chéngguǒ.
This discovery is the result of years of scientists' research.
政治家 zhèngzhìjiā statesman; skilled politician
N 名词 míngcí
政治 zhèngzhì (politics) + 家 jiā. More elevated than 政客 zhèngkè (politician — often pejorative, implying opportunism and maneuvering). 政治家 implies vision, skill, and genuine mastery of governance — a statesman rather than a mere political operator. The 家 suffix confers dignity.
他是二十世纪最重要的政治家之一。
Tā shì èrshí shìjì zuì zhòngyào de zhèngzhìjiā zhī yī.
He is one of the most important statesmen of the twentieth century.
一个真正的政治家要有远见。
Yīgè zhēnzhèng de zhèngzhìjiā yào yǒu yuǎnjiàn.
A true statesman must have foresight.
辨析 biànxī · 政治家 vs. 政客 政治家 (statesman — dignified, has mastered governance) vs. 政客 zhèngkè (politician — often pejorative, implies self-interest). The 家 vs. 客 distinction is telling: 家 = someone who belongs here, has made this their home; 客 = a visitor, a temporary guest, someone who doesn't truly belong.
儒家/道家/法家 Rújiā / Dàojiā / Fǎjiā Philosophical Schools — The Hundred Schools of Thought
学者洞见 xuézhě dòngjiàn · Scholar Note

The 家 suffix applied to intellectual traditions creates the vocabulary of classical Chinese philosophy. These are not "schools" in the institutional sense — no campuses, no enrollment. They are lineages of thought: transmitted ways of approaching the world, each making a core insight its 家, its home. The Warring States period (475–221 BC) produced the 百家争鸣 bǎijiā zhēngmíng — the "Hundred Schools Contending," a period of philosophical pluralism without parallel in Chinese history.

The pattern: founding figure or core concept + 家 = the tradition that makes that insight its home. 儒家 made humaneness its home. 道家 made the Way its home. 法家 made law and statecraft its home.

家 拼音 Pīnyīn 英文 Yīngwén 核心思想 Core Idea
儒家 Rújiā Confucianism Virtue through relationships; ritual propriety; humaneness 仁 rén
道家 Dàojiā Daoism (philosophical) The Way 道; naturalness 自然; non-action 无为 wúwéi
法家 Fǎjiā Legalism Law 法; strict governance; realpolitik; the state above individual
墨家 Mòjiā Mohism Universal love 兼爱; opposition to aggressive war; meritocracy
兵家 Bīngjiā Military Strategists The art of war; Sun Tzu's tradition; strategy and deception
杂家 Zájiā Eclectics Synthesizers of multiple schools; pragmatic pluralism
名家 Míngjiā School of Names Logic; the relationship between names and reality; sophistry
阴阳家 Yīnyángjiā Yin-Yang School Cosmological cycles; Five Phases 五行; correlative cosmology
家常/家风 jiācháng / jiāfēng Household Culture & Transmitted Values
家常 jiācháng everyday home life; homestyle; ordinary
N 名词 míngcí
家 jiā (home) + 常 cháng (ordinary; often; constant). The routine of domestic life — meals, small talk, everyday rhythms. A warmly neutral word that positions the homely and ordinary as valuable rather than inferior. The 常 element connects to Buddhist 无常 (impermanence) — 家常 is precisely what impermanence threatens: the steady, repeated, daily.
我喜欢吃家常菜。
Wǒ xǐhuān chī jiācháng cài.
I love eating home-cooked food.
老朋友见面，免不了要拉家常。
Lǎo péngyou jiànmiàn, miǎnbuliǎo yào lā jiācháng.
When old friends meet, chatting about everyday life is inevitable.
这种加班对他来说是家常便饭。
Zhè zhǒng jiābān duì tā lái shuō shì jiācháng biànfàn.
This kind of overtime is routine for him.
成语 chéngyǔ · Idiom 家常便饭 jiācháng biànfàn — literally "homestyle convenient meal"; figuratively "everyday occurrence; nothing special." One of the most useful idioms in the 家 family. 这种事已经是家常便饭了 = "This sort of thing is routine now."
家风 jiāfēng family tradition; values passed through generations
N 名词 míngcí
家 jiā (family) + 风 fēng (wind; custom; style; ethos). The invisible ethos that blows through a family across generations — the unspoken values, behavioral norms, and character traits transmitted from parents to children. 风 as "style" or "ethos" appears in many cultural compounds: 民风 mínfēng (folk customs), 学风 xuéfēng (academic ethos), 作风 zuòfēng (work style).
良好的家风对孩子影响深远。
Liánghǎo de jiāfēng duì háizi yǐngxiǎng shēnyuǎn.
Good family tradition has a deep and lasting influence on children.
他们家的家风是勤俭节约。
Tāmen jiā de jiāfēng shì qínjiǎn jiéyuē.
Their family's tradition is diligence and frugality.
文化 wénhuà · Culture 家风 encodes the Confucian idea that the family is the primary unit of moral education. The state cannot function if families do not transmit virtue. This is why 修身齐家治国平天下 — personal cultivation and family ordering precede state governance. In contemporary China, 家风建设 (family tradition building) is a recurring theme in official discourse.
家规 jiāguī family rules; household rules
N 名词 míngcí
家 jiā (family) + 规 guī (rules; regulations; norms). The explicit code of conduct of a household — the spoken version of what 家风 transmits implicitly. Distinguished families in imperial China often had written 家规 codifying expectations for children's conduct, study, and marriage. 规矩 guīju (rules; propriety) is a closely related compound.
我家的家规是吃饭时不能玩手机。
Wǒ jiā de jiāguī shì chīfàn shí bù néng wán shǒujī.
Our family rule is no phones at the dinner table.
没有规矩，不成方圆。
Méiyǒu guīju, bù chéng fāngyuán.
Without rules, nothing works out. (Proverb often invoked around 家规)
成家 chéng jiā to start a family; to marry and establish a household
V 动词 dòngcí
成 chéng (to become; to accomplish; to complete) + 家 jiā. The moment a household comes into being — through marriage, through setting up a home together. One of the defining life-stage transitions in Chinese culture, paired with 立业 (establish a career) in the famous set phrase 成家立业.
他三十岁才成家。
Tā sānshí suì cái chéng jiā.
He didn't start a family until thirty.
成家立业是很多人的目标。
Chéngjiā lìyè shì hěn duō rén de mùbiāo.
Starting a family and establishing a career are many people's goals.
父母希望他早点成家。
Fùmǔ xīwàng tā zǎo diǎn chéng jiā.
His parents hope he starts a family soon.
成语 chéngyǔ · Set Phrase 成家立业 chéngjiā lìyè — "start a family and establish a career." The two milestones of adult life in traditional Chinese culture, stated in their expected order. The family comes first; the career is built to support it.
一家 yī jiā 家 as Measure Word — Counting Establishments
量词 liàngcí · Measure Word Pattern 一家 counts bounded, self-contained establishments — just as the original 家 was a bounded domestic space with a roof and a pig under it. The pattern applies to businesses, institutions, and families as units. One roof = one 家.
量词 Measure 拼音 Pīnyīn 英文 Yīngwén 例句 Lìjù
一家人 yī jiā rén a family; the whole family 一家人一起吃饭。Yī jiā rén yīqǐ chīfàn. — The whole family eats together.
一家公司 yī jiā gōngsī a company 他开了一家公司。Tā kāi le yī jiā gōngsī. — He started a company.
一家医院 yī jiā yīyuàn a hospital 附近有一家医院。Fùjìn yǒu yī jiā yīyuàn. — There's a hospital nearby.
一家餐厅 yī jiā cāntīng a restaurant 我们去一家餐厅吃饭。Wǒmen qù yī jiā cāntīng chīfàn.
一家商店 yī jiā shāngdiàn a shop / store 街上开了一家新商店。Jiē shàng kāi le yī jiā xīn shāngdiàn. — A new store opened on the street.
一家银行 yī jiā yínháng a bank 他在一家银行工作。Tā zài yī jiā yínháng gōngzuò. — He works at a bank.
成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases
家喻户晓 jiā yù hù xiǎo known to every household — a household name; universally known Lit: family-understood-household-known. 喻 = understood; 晓 = known; aware. Every family understands it; every household knows it. 这首歌已经家喻户晓了。(This song is now known to everyone.) The go-to phrase for "universally famous" in Chinese.
家徒四壁 jiā tú sì bì home with only four walls — extreme poverty; owning nothing Lit: home-merely-four-walls. 徒 = only; merely; bare. The household contains nothing but the four walls themselves. Used in literature to describe destitution. Often contrasted with 家财万贯 jiācái wànguàn (immense family wealth). A stock phrase for total financial ruin.
成家立业 chéng jiā lì yè start a family and establish a career — the two milestones of adult life 立业 = to establish one's career or livelihood. The traditional sequence of adult life goals: first you build a home; then you build a livelihood. 他终于成家立业了。(He has finally started a family and established himself.) The phrase encodes a whole theory of the proper human life cycle.
四海为家 sì hǎi wéi jiā to make one's home in all four seas — at home anywhere; cosmopolitan; rootless wandering 四海 = the four seas = everywhere under heaven. 为 = to treat as; to make into. The whole globe is one's household. Used for travelers, exiles, and those rootlessly at ease anywhere. Both admiring (cosmopolitan freedom) and elegiac (loss of fixed roots) — depending on context.
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary
家庭jiātíngfamily (institutional) 国家guójiānation; state 房子fángzihouse (physical building) 故乡gùxiānghometown (literary) 邻居línjūneighbor 亲人qīnrénloved ones; dear family 父母fùmǔparents 兄弟xiōngdìbrothers; male siblings 姐妹jiěmèisisters; female siblings 孩子háizichildren; child 传统chuántǒngtradition; traditional 根gēnroots; origin 归宿guīsùfinal home; where one belongs
记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

A roof over a pig. That is civilization's first agreement: I will shelter you; you will feed me. From that deal, everything scales: the household becomes the village, the village the kingdom, the kingdom the world. When Confucius laid out the path of self-cultivation — 修身、齐家、治国、平天下 — he was not being metaphorical. The same moral logic that orders a household orders a nation. In Chinese, the nation is literally the family: 国家.

Every 家 compound you encounter carries this fractal logic. The 画家 (painter) has made painting their home. The 道家 (Daoist) has made the Way their home. The 国家 is the household of all under heaven. When a Chinese person says 回家, they are not just going to an address — they are returning to the foundational cell of the moral universe.

In Japanese: 家族 kazoku (family), 作家 sakka (writer) — the same roof, the same pig, the same fractal logic, intact across the sea.