Comparing "jia" and "jiating"

家 (jiā) and 家庭 (jiātíng) are similar in that both are nouns that refer to "family." 家 is used most often in informal contexts and is usually translated as "home," or sometimes "family." 家庭 is more formal and often translated as "household." Additionally, 家 has much wider usage and is commonly used as a measure word.

B1HSK5ASV4567

	家 (jiā)	家庭 (jiātíng)
Meaning	home, family	household, family
Part of Speech	noun, measure word	noun
Formality	informal	formal

:Yes

Use 家 for "home"

Example Sentences

• 地铁 站 离 我 家 很 近 。 Dìtiě zhàn lí wǒ jiā hěn jìn.The subway station is very close to my home.
• 我 每 天 在 家 吃 晚饭 。 Wǒ měi tiān zài jiā chī wǎnfàn.I eat dinner at home every day.
• 上 个 周末 我 去 朋友 家 了 。 Shàng gè zhōumò wǒ qù péngyou jiā le.Last weekend I went to a friend's home.
• 我 现在 在 家 办公。 Wǒ xiànzài zài jiā bàngōng.I work from home now.
• 从 家 到 人民广场 ， 我 走 了 一 个 半 小时 。 Cóng jiā dào Rénmín Guǎngchǎng, wǒ zǒu le yī gè bàn xiǎoshí.From my home to People's Square I walked for half an hour.

Use 家庭 for "household"

You'll notice that these uses are more formal. Aside from "household," the word 家庭 often refers to the family as an abstract unit of society.

Common Phrases

Even though 家庭 means "household" by itself, as a part of many common phrases, the word "family" is more natural in English.

• 家庭 医生jiātíng yīshēngfamily doctor
• 家庭 教育jiātíng jiàoyùfamily education
• 家庭 主妇jiātíng zhǔfùhousewife
• 家庭 聚会jiātíng jùhuìfamily gatherings

Example Sentences

• 我 有 一 个 大 家庭 。 Wǒ yǒu yī gè dà jiātíng .I have a big family.
• 家庭 教育 也 很 重要。 jiātíng jiàoyù yě hěn zhòngyào.Family education is also very important.
• 因为 家庭 的 原因 ， 我 辞职 了 。 Yīnwèi jiātíng de yuányīn, wǒ cízhí le.For family reasons, I quit my job.
• 你 觉得 事业 和 家庭 哪个 更 重要 ？ Nǐ juéde shìyè hé jiātíng nǎge gèng zhòngyào?Which do you think is more important, your career or your family?
• 我 觉得 你 的 运气 很 好 ， 有 非常 好 的 工作 ， 也 有 幸福 的 家庭 。 Wǒ juéde nǐ de yùnqi hěn hǎo, yǒu fēicháng hǎo de gōngzuò, yě yǒu xìngfú de jiātíng .I think you are very lucky to have a very good job and a happy family.
• 他 是 一 个 有名 的 家庭 医生。 Tā shì yī gè yǒumíng de jiātíng yīshēng .He is a famous family doctor.
• 她 以前 是 一 个 家庭 主妇，但是 现在 去 工作 了。 Tā yǐqián shì yī gè jiātíng zhǔfù , dànshì xiànzài qù gōngzuò le.She used to be a housewife, but now she's gone back to work.
• 上个 星期 我们 一家人 跟 另 一 个 家庭 一起 庆祝 了 感恩节 。 Shàng gè xīngqī wǒmen yījiā rén gēn lìng yī gè jiātíng yīqǐ qìngzhù le Gǎnēnjié.Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving as a family with another family.

Only 家 can be a measure word

Be sure the you're clear on what a measure word is. In Mandarin, the phrases "this restaurant," "which restaurant," and "one restaurant" would all use the measure word 家.

Common Phrases

Companies, stores, shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels... they all use the measure word 家.

• 这 家 餐厅 zhè jiā cāntīngthis restaurant
• 一 家 咖啡馆 yī jiā kāfēiguǎna cafe
• 那 家 工厂 nà jiā gōngchǎngthat factory
• 两 家 公司 liǎng jiā gōngsītwo companies
• 哪 家 宾馆 nǎ jiā bīnguǎnwhich hotel

Example Sentences

• 这 家 餐厅 的 菜 价格 很 高。 Zhè jiā cāntīng de cài jiàgé hěn gāo.The prices of the diahses at this restaurant are very expensive.
• 这 家 公司 成立 于 2020 年 。 Zhè jiā gōngsī chénglì yú 2020 nián.The company was founded in 2020.
• 那 家 店 的 火锅 很 好吃 。 Nà jiā diàn de huǒguō hěn hǎochī.The hot pot at that restaurant is very good.
• 我 常 去 这 家 咖啡馆，这 家 的 咖啡 很 好喝。 Wǒ cháng qù zhè jiā kāfēiguǎn , zhè jiā de kāfēi hěn hǎohē.I often go to this cafe, and the coffee is very good.
• 你 知道 在 上海 有 多少 家 宾馆 吗？ Nǐ zhīdào zài Shànghǎi yǒu duōshǎo jiā bīnguǎn ma?Do you know how many hotels there are in Shanghai?

Sources and further reading

Websites

• 家和家庭有什么区别