Quick answer: 家 (jiā) means home, house or family. 家庭 is family/household, 家人 means family members, and 家乡 means home town; the complete word determines the sense.

家

Character guide

Chinese Family Symbols: 家, Family Words & Meanings

Q: What does 家和万事兴 mean?

It means “if the family is harmonious, everything prospers.” It is a common proverb linking household harmony with flourishing.

家 (jiā) means home, household or family. This guide also covers 家庭, 家人 and common Chinese words for family members, with the context each term needs.

Pinyin jiāStrokes 10Meaning home, house, familyTraditional 家Radical 宀 40

What does 家 mean?

家 (jiā) means house, home, residence or family. It appears in 家庭 (family), 家人 (family members), 家乡 (home town) and 回家 (to return home). The character can refer to a physical house, a household or a broader sense of belonging. In words such as 画家 or 专家, the same character can also mark a person who specialises in a field, so context matters.

家, 家庭, 家人 and 家乡

家 is the broad character for home or family. 家庭 usually refers to the family as a household or social unit. 家人 means family members or relatives close to you. 家乡 means home town or native place, which is connected to origin rather than the people living in a house. These words overlap but are not interchangeable in every sentence.

Chinese words for family members

Family terms change with age, side of the family and regional custom. These are common standard Mandarin terms and should be checked against the family practice being described.

爸爸bàba · father

妈妈māma · mother

哥哥gēge · older brother

姐姐jiějie · older sister

弟弟dìdi · younger brother

妹妹mèimei · younger sister

儿子érzi · son

女儿nǚ’ér · daughter

爷爷yéye · paternal grandfather

奶奶nǎinai · paternal grandmother

外公wàigōng · maternal grandfather

外婆wàipó · maternal grandmother

Is 家 suitable for a tattoo?

Yes. With 10 strokes, it has a moderate structure and works well in regular script. It is a common and emotionally direct choice, so placement and scale should support the meaning rather than overwhelm it. If you want the meaning “family” rather than “home,” compare 家庭, 家 for home, or a fuller phrase such as 家和万事兴, which must be checked as a complete saying.

Design notes

ScriptRegular script keeps the roof and lower components balanced.

ScaleIt works on a forearm, calf or upper arm at moderate size.

MeaningHome can mean a place or a relationship; the design cannot specify which.

Common mistakes

Assuming 家 only means a physical house.
Treating 家, 家庭, 家人 and 家乡 as exact synonyms.
Using a decorative script that changes the internal structure.
Adding words that create an unintended family phrase.
Using a family term without checking the relationship and regional convention.

Chinese family symbol questions

What is the Chinese symbol for family?

家 (jiā) is the broad symbol for home or family. 家庭 more specifically means family or household, and 家人 means family members.

What does 家 mean?

家 can mean home, house, family or household. In words such as 画家 or 专家, it can also mark a specialist, so the complete word determines the meaning.

How do you say family members in Chinese?

Common terms include 爸爸, 妈妈, 哥哥, 姐姐, 弟弟, 妹妹, 儿子, 女儿, 爷爷, 奶奶, 外公 and 外婆. Regional family terms can differ.

Is 家 a good tattoo character?

It is compact and readable, but the single character is broad. Decide whether you mean home, household or family, then check the complete wording and design context.

Related characters

Reference data

Character identity and the fields below are taken from the Unicode Unihan database (Unicode 18.0.0), the reference dataset published by the Unicode Consortium. Stroke counts follow the Unihan counting convention.

家U+5BB6 · 10 strokes (Unihan kTotalStrokes) · radical 宀 40 · Mandarin jiā · Cantonese gaa1 · “house, home, residence; family”

Source: Unicode Unihan database, Unicode 18.0.0, generated 2026-09-25.

家 versus 家庭 and 家乡

家 can mean a house, a household, a family or a feeling of belonging. 家庭 usually means family as a social unit, 家乡 means one’s home town or native place, and 回家 means to return home. The single character is broader than any one of these translations.

Why context matters

A design using 家 may suggest family, shelter, belonging or a place to return to. The intended feeling should be explained before the design is made permanent or used in a product. Do not assume that the character specifies a traditional family structure or guarantees a harmonious home.

Pairing and use

家 pairs well with characters related to harmony, warmth or care, but the complete phrase must sound natural with any surname or surrounding wording. Check the full design rather than judging the single character in isolation.

Word comparison

Home and family in Chinese: 家, 家庭, 家人 and 家乡

家 (jiā) is the character for home, house, family or household. It is one of the most productive characters in Chinese: 家庭 is the family unit, 家人 are family members, 家乡 is a hometown, 家族 is an extended family or clan, 回家 means to go home, 大家 means everyone, 专家 means an expert and 国家 means a country. The table shows how context changes the sense.

Home and family in Chinese: 家, 家庭, 家人 and related words
Chinese	Pinyin	Core sense	Use and caution
家	jiā	Home, house, family	The core character; meaning depends on the words around it.
家庭	jiā tíng	Family, household	The family as a unit or institution.
家人	jiā rén	Family members	The people in one’s family; plural in ordinary use.
家乡	jiā xiāng	Hometown	The place where someone grew up or feels rooted.
家族	jiā zú	Clan, extended family	A larger lineage group, not a nuclear household.
回家	huí jiā	To go home	A common verb phrase; 回 means to return.
大家	dà jiā	Everyone	Not "big family" in everyday use; a pronoun for a group.
专家	zhuān jiā	Expert	家 here is a suffix for a specialist, not a household.
国家	guó jiā	Country, nation	家 here is part of a political word, not a family.

Use 家 for the broad idea of home, house or family. 家庭 is the family unit, 家人 are the people, and 家乡 is the place. The same character also builds words for experts and nations, which is why a literal translation fails. 家和万事兴 is a common saying: if the family is harmonious, many things prosper. It expresses a value, not a guarantee.

Questions about home and family in Chinese

What is the Chinese symbol for family?

The usual Chinese character for family, home and household is 家 (jiā). 家庭 (jiā tíng) is the more formal word for a family unit.

What is the difference between 家, 家庭, 家人 and 家乡?

家 is home, house or family; 家庭 is the family unit; 家人 are family members; and 家乡 is a hometown or home region.

Why does 家 appear in 专家 and 国家?

In 专家 (expert), 家 is a suffix for a specialist. In 国家 (country), it is part of a political word. Neither use means a household or family.

What does 家和万事兴 mean?

家和万事兴 means that when a family is harmonious, many things prosper. It is a traditional saying about family harmony, not a promise of success.

How many strokes does 家 have?

家 has 10 strokes and is written as 宀 (roof) over 豕. It is the same in simplified and traditional Chinese.

What is the difference between 家, 家庭 and 家乡?

家 means home or family, 家庭 means household or family as a unit, and 家乡 means hometown. Each points to a different sense of belonging.

Why does 家 appear in job words?

As a suffix, 家 means “specialist,” so 作家 is “writer,” 画家 is “painter” and 科学家 is “scientist.”

Does 家 guarantee family harmony?

No. As a design it expresses home and belonging. It does not guarantee harmony or good fortune.

Writing and usage

Writing 家: 10 strokes, 宀 over 豕

家 has 10 strokes and is written as 宀 (the roof radical) over 豕 (a pig or boar). The form is the same in simplified and traditional Chinese. The combination is an old one — a roof with livestock beneath it, an image of a settled household — and it explains why 家 carries both “home” and “family” in modern use. Keep 宀 wide enough to cover 豕, and watch the lower component, which has several strokes that can blur at small sizes.

家 in common words

家 forms 家庭 (“family, household”), 家人 (“family members”), 家乡 (“hometown”), 国家 (“country,” literally state-family), 大家 (“everyone”), 专家 (“expert”), 家具 (“furniture”), 家常 (“home-style, everyday”) and 家教 (“family upbringing” or “private tutoring”). It acts as a suffix for a profession, as in 作家 (“writer”), 画家 (“painter”) and 科学家 (“scientist”), where 家 means “specialist.” This wide range shows that 家 covers household, family and belonging as well as a sense of “one’s own.”

Idioms and family terms

家喻户晓 means “known to every household,” describing something widely familiar. 四海为家 means “to make one’s home everywhere,” describing a wandering or cosmopolitan life. 家和万事兴 is a common proverb, “if the family is harmonious, everything prospers.” For family members, Chinese distinguishes 父亲 (“father”), 母亲 (“mother”), 哥哥 / 弟弟 (older/younger brother), 姐姐 / 妹妹 (older/younger sister), 爷爷 / 奶奶 (paternal grandparents) and 外公 / 外婆 (maternal grandparents) — kinship terms are more specific than English, and the exact form varies by region.

Design notes and limits

家 is a popular single character for tattoos, seals and gifts, often chosen to mean “home” or “family.” As a design it expresses belonging and household; it does not guarantee harmony or good fortune. Confirm the form with a fluent reader, decide whether the intended sense is “home,” “family” or “household” (家, 家庭 and 家乡 differ), and test the drawing at the final size, since the lower 豕 component is the part most likely to lose definition.

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