家 jiā — home, family · English

家

jiā

home, family

At a glance · 家

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象屋（宀）下有豕（猪），先民养猪为定居标志，会意人居之所。隶楷沿为「家」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「家」本指居室，引申为家族、家庭。

Structure

会意字，从宀从豕，屋下养猪，表示定居的家庭、住所。

At a glance

Pinyinjiā

Radical宀

Strokes10

UnicodeU+5BB6

Character type会意

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English home, family Home, family; originally a dwelling with a pig under the roof.

Français maison, famille Maison, famille; à l'origine une habitation avec un porc sous le toit.

Español casa, familia Casa, familia; originalmente una vivienda con un cerdo bajo el techo.

العربية بيت، أسرة البيت والأسرة؛ كان في الأصل مسكنًا يحتوي خنزيرًا تحت السقف.

Русский дом, семья Дом, семья; изначально — жилище со свиньёй под крышей.

Common words

家庭jiā tíngfamily
家jiāhome

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