家: the kanji for house, home, family, specialist
家 is a JLPT N4 kanji that means house, home, family, specialist. Below are its readings, 15 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
家 is written in 10 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
家 has 4 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 15 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
カ (ka)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 家族かぞく · kazoku | family |
| 家庭かてい · katei | household; home |
| 家事かじ · kaji | housework |
| 家具かぐ · kagu | furniture |
| 作家さっか · sakka | writer |
| 専門家せんもんか · senmonka | specialist; expert |
| 国家こっか · kokka | nation; state |
| 画家がか · gaka | painter |
| 一家いっか · ikka | a family; household |
ケ (ke)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 本家ほんけ · honke | head family; originator |
| 田中家たなかけ · Tanaka-ke | the Tanaka family |
いえ (ie)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 家いえ · ie | house; home |
や (ya)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 大家おおや · ōya | landlord |
| 家主やぬし · yanushi | landlord; owner |
| 家賃やちん · yachin | rent |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 家族は四人です。Kazoku wa yonin desu.There are four people in my family.
- 家賃は毎月二十五日に払います。Yachin wa maitsuki nijūgonichi ni haraimasu.I pay rent on the 25th of every month.
- 税金について専門家に相談しました。Zeikin ni tsuite senmonka ni sōdan shimashita.I consulted an expert about taxes.
- 今日は早く家に帰ります。Kyō wa hayaku ie ni kaerimasu.I'm going home early today.
- 週末は家事をします。Shūmatsu wa kaji o shimasu.I do housework on weekends.
- エアコンの故障を大家さんに連絡しました。Eakon no koshō o ōya-san ni renraku shimashita.I told the landlord the air conditioner was broken.
Questions about 家
How many strokes does 家 have?
家 is written in 10 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 家?
The on readings are ka (カ), ke (ケ). The kun readings are ie (いえ), ya (や).
Is 家 read ie or uchi?
家 is usually read いえ (ie). In conversation people often say うち (uchi) for "my home," and うち is also written 家 in casual text. On this page, the audio uses ie.
What JLPT level is 家?
N4. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.
About the JLPT level
The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N4 is designed to match the former Level 3.
More JLPT N4 kanji
People and family
Executive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.
Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 家
- JLPT Frequently Asked Questions, The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services: how current levels match the former levels
- Stroke order diagrams are based on KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are shared under the same license.