Chinese word

家乡

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiā xiāng

Meaning

  • nounhometown

Example

我的家乡在上海。wǒ de jiā xiāng zài shàng hǎi

My hometown is in Shanghai.

Illustration for 家乡 (hometown)

More examples

每次回到家乡我都很开心。měi cì huí dào jiā xiāng wǒ dōu hěn kāi xīn

Every time I return to my hometown, I feel very happy.

Core concept

The home region that remains part of a person's identity through memories, culture, and belonging.

Common phrases

  • 回到家乡huí dào jiā xiāng

    return to one's hometown

  • 想念家乡xiǎng niàn jiā xiāng

    miss one's hometown

  • 离开家乡lí kāi jiā xiāng

    leave one's hometown

Similar words

故乡gù xiāng: The native place that carries warm personal memories and a strong sense of attachment.
出生地chū shēng dì: The specific place of a person's birth, especially in factual or official information.

Definition in Chinese

指个人的出身地，也可泛指具有文化或情感意义的成长地域。zhǐ gè rén de chū shēn dì yě kě fàn zhǐ jù yǒu wén huà huò qíng gǎn yì yì de chéng zhǎng dì yù

Word origin

家 (jiā, "home") joined with 乡 (xiāng, "native place") gives the sense of the region a person calls home because of origin or upbringing.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 家乡 (jiāxiāng, "hometown") often opens a conversation about local food, customs, or childhood memories, not just a person's address.

Other meanings

  • place of originnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 家乡人jiā xiāng rénhometown residentnoun
  • 家乡菜jiā xiāng càihometown cuisinenoun
  • 家乡话jiā xiāng huàhometown dialectnoun

Word lists with this word