家
jiā
/tɕjá/
Definition
Home; the place where you live with your family. Can also refer to one's family as a unit.
Example
我想回家吃晚饭。
Show translation
I want to go home to eat dinner.
Etymology
An ancient pictograph (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén, oracle bone script) depicting a pig (豕 shǐ) sheltered under a roof (宀 mián). In early Chinese agrarian society, keeping pigs under the family roof was a sign of a settled, prosperous household — so "roof + pig" came to mean home and family.
Cultural note
家 carries deep cultural weight in Chinese society, closely tied to Confucian values of family loyalty and filial piety (孝 xiào). The concept extends beyond a physical dwelling: 国家 (guójiā, "nation-state") literally means "country-family," reflecting the traditional view that the nation is an extension of the family. Note that 家 also functions as a suffix meaning "expert/specialist" (e.g., 科学家 kēxuéjiā = scientist), so context matters.