家

• Physical: A dwelling or home; the holistic site of living (in early agricultural contexts, a "homestead").
• Social: The family, household, or lineage.
• Intellectual: A school of thought, sect, or professional tradition.

• Classifier: Used as a measure word for families or households.
• Suffix: When following a name or adjective, denotes an expert, master, or representative of a particular craft or style.

• Contrast with 宅 (estate, property) and 室 (room, chamber).
• Contrast with 戶 (hù): While both can mean "household," 戶 is typically the standard unit for bureaucratic, census, and tax administration, whereas 家 refers to organic, social, and domestic spheres.

Traditional variants: U+50A2, U+5BB6.

Be alert for metonymic ambiguity between the physical building and the people within it; specifically, phrases regarding "leaving" or "returning to" 家 may refer to either the physical structure or one's familial obligations and status.