Chinese word

故乡

Pronunciation

Pinyingù xiāng

Meaning

  • nounhometown

Example

春节我回了故乡。chūn jié wǒ huí le gù xiāng

I went back to my hometown for Spring Festival.

Illustration for 故乡 (hometown)

More examples

很多老人选择在故乡生活。hěn duō lǎo rén xuǎn zé zài gù xiāng shēng huó

Many elderly people choose to live in their hometowns.

Core concept

An early home that stays connected to a person's roots, even after life moves elsewhere.

Common phrases

  • 在故乡生活zài gù xiāng shēng huó

    live in one's hometown

  • 离开故乡lí kāi gù xiāng

    leave one's hometown

  • 怀念故乡huái niàn gù xiāng

    miss one's hometown

Similar words

家乡jiā xiāng: The town or village where a person grew up, in everyday speech.
老家lǎo jiā: A parent's family home or an ancestral place, usually mentioned in casual speech.
出生地chū shēng dì: The place where a person was born, stated as a simple fact.

Definition in Chinese

指一个人出生或成长的地方，常带有怀念和留恋的感情。zhǐ yí gè rén chū shēng huò chéng zhǎng de dì fāng cháng dài yǒu huái niàn hé liú liàn de gǎn qíng

Word origin

故乡 (gùxiāng, "hometown") is formed from 故 (gù, "former") + 乡 (xiāng, "native place"), linking a place of earlier life with the idea of a native home.

Usage tips

  • The word suits reunion stories, family memories, and literary descriptions more readily than quick factual statements about where someone lives now.

Other meanings

  • birthplacenoun

Opposites

  • 他乡tā xiānga foreign landnoun

Word lists with this word