What does 家 mean in Chinese?

家 (jiā) means "home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 1.

How do you pronounce 家?

家 is pronounced "jiā" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 1.

What HSK level is 家?

家 is an HSK 1 word on the new HSK exam syllabus. It is HSK 1 on both the old and the new exam.

What words contain the character 家?

Common words with 家 include 一家 (the whole family), 上家 (preceding player (in a game)), 下家 (player whose turn comes next (in a game)), 世家 (family influential for generations), 一家人 (household).

How do you write 家?

家 has 10 strokes. Its radical is 宀. You can view the stroke order animation on our stroke order tool.

家 (jiā), home

家

jiā

home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses

HSK 1classifier10 strokes

Character Breakdown

家 = 宀 + 豕

A pig under the roof — home (wealth)

Radical: 宀 (no. 40)Strokes: 10

View stroke order →

Definitions

(classifier) home
family
(polite) my (sister, uncle etc)
classifier for families or businesses
refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China
noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian

Classifier: 个 (gè)

Example Sentences

我们回家吧。

Wǒmen huí jiā ba

Let's go home

Words Containing 家

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
一家	yī jiā	the whole family
上家	shàng jiā	preceding player (in a game)
下家	xià jiā	player whose turn comes next (in a game)
世家	shì jiā	family influential for generations
一家人	yī jiā rén	household

Related Words

性(xìng)· nature

→

府上(fǔ shàng)· (polite) your home

Grammar Notes

Basic Sentence Order (SVO)HSK 1

Subject + (Time) + (Place) + Verb + Object

Time Expression PlacementHSK 1

Subject + Time + Verb + Object (or) Time + Subject + Verb + Object

Location with 在HSK 1

Subject + 在 + Place + Verb (or) Subject + 在 + Place

Progressive Aspect (正在/在...呢)HSK 2

Subject + 正在/在 + Verb (+ Object) + (呢)

From...To (从...到)HSK 2

从 + Starting Point + 到 + Ending Point

Appears in these articles

HSK levels

New HSK exam: HSK 1
HSK 2.0: HSK 1
HSK Lord study list: HSK 1 list

家: HSK 1 on both the old and the new exam. See where your old level lands

New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting is announced for 13 December 2026. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 家 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 1 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.