StrokeFox
12345678910

家 — how to write the kanji for “house”

家 means “house”, “home” and “family”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in second grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 133rd most used kanji. KANJIDIC2 gives it 2 on readings and 3 kun readings, so the word decides how you say it. Its parts sit stacked: 宀 (“roof”, its radical), strokes 1–3; 豕 (“pig”), strokes 4–10, each finished before the next. On its own it is the word ie, “house; residence”. Its common words take the reading ka: 国家 (“state”), 家庭 (“home”), 家族 (“family”) and 政治家 (“politician”). Chinese reads it jiā, “home”, at HSK 1.

Strokes
10
JLPT
N4
Radical
宀 (“roof”)
On
カ, ケ
Kun
や, いえ, うち

Stroke by stroke

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  1. Vertical ㇑topdownwards
  2. Dot ㇔top leftdownwards
  3. Horizontal hook ㇖top leftrightwards
  4. Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
  5. Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and left
  6. Curved hook ㇁centerdownwards → down and left
  7. Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and left
  8. Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and left
  9. Left-falling stroke ㇒rightdown and left
  10. Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right

Japanese and Chinese

Japanese and Chinese draw all 10 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.

12345678910
Japanese · KanjiVG · 10 strokes
12345678910
Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 10 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived)
カ ka, ケ ke
Kun (native)
や ya, いえ ie, うち uchi
Meanings
house; home; family; professional; expert; performer
Read ka
国家 家庭 家族 政治家 作家 専門家
School year
second grade
Newspaper rank
133rd of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja
가 ga
Common words
74 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 家

WordReadingMeaning
国家こっか kokkastate; country
家庭かてい kateihome; household
家族かぞく kazokufamily
政治家せいじか seijikapolitician; statesman
作家さっか sakkaauthor; writer
専門家せんもんか senmonkaspecialist; expert
農家のうか noukafarmer; farming family
一家いっか ikkaa family; a household
評論家ひょうろんか hyouronkacritic; reviewer
家電かでん kadenhousehold (electrical) appliances; home appliances

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: