Japanese Symbol for

家族

kazoku

family · household · kin

Readings

  • 家 ONカ・ケka / ke
  • 家 KUNいえ・うちie / uchi
  • 族 ONゾクzoku

Meaning

Family, members of a family. 家族 is the standard word for family in modern Japanese. 家 (ie/uchi) means house or home; 族 means group, tribe, or clan.

ie / uchi

house, home, family

家庭

katei

home, family, household

一族

ichizoku

family, relatives, clan

世帯

setai

household, family unit

親族

shinzoku

relatives, kin

大家族

dai-kazoku

large family

Japanese family vocabulary is nuanced. uchi (うち) means "my house/family" in a possessive/intimate sense, while ie (いえ) is more formal. When speaking to outsiders, Japanese people use humble forms for their own family members — e.g., 父 (chichi) for "my father" but お父さん (otōsan) when addressing someone else's father.

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