Studying kanji – 家

In this article, we will study the kanji 家 and learn some words. This kanji can mean house, home, family, professional, specialist, performance, and other related words.

The Kanji [家] is ranked 133rd on the list of most used kanji in newspapers. It is considered a JLPT N4 level kanji.

• Kun yomi: いえ, や, うち
• On yomi: カ, ケ (ka, ke)
• In names: り, え, く, つ か, べ
• Radical: 宀 (roof)
• Strokes: 10

This kanji has few readings and is easy to memorize.

うち VS いえ

UCHI (うち) or IE (いえ) are 2 different words that share the same kanji and both mean house. いえ is used to refer to any physical house, while うち is used to refer to your own house, home, and family. うち is used to say “the place I live” instead of just the physical structure.

Since both have the same Kanji, how do I know which word is in a text? First, you will know by the context, but most of the time うち will start the sentence while いえ is easily found in the middle of sentences.

An interesting fact is that うち is cognate (or familiar) with 内 (uchi) which means interior, inside, among, and home.

Since IE and UCHI are Japanese readings (KUN), it is less common to find them in compound words with other kanji, but there are some exceptions. (How to know if the reading is ON or KUN).

Below we will see some words that have the readings IE and UCHI but are composed of kanji:

• 家出 – iede – Run away from home
• 家路 – ieji – Way home
• 家々- ieie – Each house, residences
• 家筋 – iesuji – Lineage, pedigree, family line
• 家中 uchiju / iieju – the whole family; all (members) of the family

We note that despite the kanji compound words having a KUN reading, they are merely unions of words, as was the case of 家 + 中.

In some words, the うち may end up hiding the “U” and only becoming “CHI”. Example: 俺んち – orenchi – my house.

カ – KA

The reading KA of the kanji 家 often ends words like a suffix that indicates a specialist, professional, or a person who performs a certain action in a certain area. See some examples below:

• 作家 – sakka – Writer, Author, novelist, artist
• 農家 – nouka – Agriculturist
• 実業家 – jitsugyōka – Businessman
• 画家 – gaka – Painter, artist
• 漫画家 – mangaka – Manga artist, cartoonist
• 生家 – iseka – House where one was born
• 資本家 – shihonka – Capitalist, financier
• 発明家 – hatsumei-ka – Inventor
• 宗教家 – shūkyōga – Religious person
• 政治家 – seijika – Politician
• 作曲家 – sakkyokka – Composer
• 建築家 – kenchikka – Architect
• 歴史家 – rekishiya – Historian

The reading KA can also start words like:

• 家族 – kazoku – Family
• 家庭 – katei – Home, family, domestic
• 家具 – kagu – Furniture
• 家事 – kaji – Housework, domestic tasks
• 家畜 – kachiku – Domestic animals, livestock, cattle
• 家計 – kakei – Domestic economy, family budget
• 家宅 – Kataku – Domicile, place, house

Most words that start and end with the kanji 家 have the reading KA. Most of these words refer to something related to or within a home, family, or house.

ケ- KE

KE can be a suffix that represents a family relationship, a group, etc. It can indicate the house of a family (example: 徳川家 – Tokugawa ke – Tokugawa family).

See the examples below to get an idea of the meaning and feeling that words ending in “KE” convey:

• 摂家 – sekke – Regents, advisors, counselors;
• 裏千家 – urasenke – One of the main schools of tea ceremony
• 両家 – ryōke – Both families
• 王家 – ouke – Royal family
• 分家 – bunke – Branch family, offshoot
• 後家 – goke – Widow
• 良家 – ryōke – Good family; respectable family; decent family

The reading KE can also start words like:

• 家来 – kerai – Retainer, entourage, servant

や – YA

Some words ending with the kanji 家 will be pronounced や as a suffix. This suffix is used to refer to a house of something, a place where business is conducted, and for people who performed a certain action.

Remember that this suffix is not used in any random word, but is present in certain words. Another kanji that has a similar function and ends with YA is 屋 which means house, roof, shop, seller. So some words can be written with 屋 or 家.

Some words may simply end with YA and have no meaning beyond “house” or “family”.

Below are some words ending in や:

• 大屋 / 大家 – ooya – Owner, landlord
• 貸家 – shikaya – House for rent (借家 – yakushiya)
• 我が家 – wagaya – Your house; a family home; the family
• 空き家 – akiya – Empty house; vacant house
• 長屋 – ganaya – Residential building
• 母屋 – omoya – Main hall,  Main building
• 一つ家 – hitsuya – One house; the same house

The reading YA can also start words like:

• 家賃 – yachin – rent
• 家主 – yanushi – landlord, owner of the house

There is also the word 家鴨 – ahiru – Domestic duck – which has a different reading from the others, as if the 家 were hidden.

Examples of use

Now let’s see in practice some sentences that contain words with the kanji 家:

僕は家にいるよ。
Boku wa ie ni iru yo;

I’m going to stay at home

彼らは、画家だ。
Karera wa, gakada;

They are artists

彼は家にいるか。
Kare wa ie ni iru ka;

Is he at home?

わが家にまさる所なし。
Wagaya ni masaru tokoro nashi;

There is no place like home

その家に火がついた。
So no ie ni hi ga tsuita;

His house caught fire

I hope this article has helped you learn more about the kanji 家. Remember that the best way to memorize kanji is by reading as much content as possible.