The character 家 — “home”: how to write it and what it means
home, family
The Chinese character 家 is read jiā and means “home, family”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 家
家 has 10 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 家, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 家 is made of
On top, 宀 “roof”; under it, 豕 “pig”: a home that keeps livestock.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 家
- 大家everyoneHSK 1
- 家人family membersHSK 1
- 搬家move (house)HSK 3
- 国家country, stateHSK 3
- 画家painter, artistHSK 3
- 家庭family (as a unit)HSK 4
- 老家hometown (where one is from)HSK 4
- 家乡hometownHSK 4
- 家长parent (of a student)HSK 4
- 家具furnitureHSK 4
- 作家writerHSK 4
- 家务houseworkHSK 5
- 家电home appliancesHSK 5
- 商家seller, storeHSK 5
- 专家expertHSK 5
- 家居home life, home furnishingsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 家?
家 has 10 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 家 mean?
家 means “home, family”. It appears in 大家 (“everyone”), 家人 (“family members”), 搬家 (“move”), 国家 (“country”).
How do you pronounce 家?
家 is read jiā. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 家 have?
10 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 家 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free