家

jiā

noun HSK 1 #157

Meanings

宀 (roof) + 豕 (pig) — a pig under a roof meant a settled household

Wǒ xiǎng huí jiā.

I want to go home.

Nǐ jiā zài nǎr?

Where is your home?

Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén.

There are five people in my family.

history

The character 家 shows a pig (豕) under a roof (宀). In ancient China, keeping pigs under the roof was a sign of a settled household.

usage

家 doubles as a suffix meaning 'expert' or 'specialist': 科学家 (scientist), 画家 (painter), 音乐家 (musician).

家 jiā