Chinese word

家

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiā

Meaning

  • nounhome

Example

我今天在家休息。wǒ jīn tiān zài jiā xiū xī

I am resting at home today.

Illustration for 家 (home)

More examples

放学后他回到家做作业。fàng xué hòu tā huí dào jiā zuò zuò yè

After school, he returns home to do his homework.

Core concept

The place where people live together and build an ongoing family life.

Common phrases

  • 回家huí jiā

    return home

  • 在家zài jiā

    be at home

  • 家里有jiā lǐ yǒu

    there is ___ at home

  • 我家wǒ jiā

    my home

Similar words

房子fáng zi: The building where people live.
家庭jiā tíng: A family unit made up of people who live together.
房间fáng jiān: A separate room inside a building.
家人jiā rén: The family members who live in the same home.

Definition in Chinese

房屋或住处，也泛指与该住处相关的家庭成员、家庭关系或家庭生活。fáng wū huò zhù chù yě fàn zhǐ yǔ gāi zhù chù xiāng guān de jiā tíng chéng yuán jiā tíng guān xì huò jiā tíng shēng huó

Word origin

家 (jiā, "home") began with the meaningful parts 宀 (mián, "roof") + 豕 (shǐ, "pig"), showing a household organized under a roof and later extending to the people and relationships there.

Usage tips

  • English separates home, house, and family more sharply, while this Chinese word can cover the dwelling, household, or family life connected with it.

Other meanings

  • householdnoun
  • housenoun
  • familynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word