Home & House in Chinese 家
jiā
Home / house in Chinese are 家 / 房子 (jiā / fáng zi).
Also searched for as: house, home, my home.
Where do you live? 15 essential home words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for home in Chinese is 家 (jiā), which also means family, so 回家 (huí jiā) carries the warm sense of going back to your people as well as your house. City life in China mostly means a 公寓 (gōng yù), a flat in a tall 楼 (lóu) on a 小区 (xiǎo qū), a gated housing estate. These words let you describe where you live, give directions and chat with the neighbours.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 家 | jiā | home |
| 房子 | fáng zi | house |
| 公寓 | gōng yù | flat; apartment |
| 楼 | lóu | building; floor |
| 层 | céng | floor; storey |
| 门 | mén | door |
| 窗户 | chuāng hu | window |
| 钥匙 | yào shi | key |
| 邻居 | lín jū | neighbour |
| 地址 | dì zhǐ | address |
| 小区 | xiǎo qū | housing estate |
| 电梯 | diàn tī | lift |
| 楼梯 | lóu tī | stairs |
| 花园 | huā yuán | garden |
| 阳台 | yáng tái | balcony |
Usage tips
- 楼 (lóu) can mean a building or a floor: 三号楼 (sān hào lóu) is Building 3, while 三楼 (sān lóu) is the third floor. 层 (céng) only ever means a floor or level.
- Chinese addresses go from big to small: city, district, road, estate, building, entrance, then flat number, so you might say 三号楼二单元 (sān hào lóu èr dān yuán) for Building 3, Entrance 2.
- Use 套 (tào) as the measure word for houses and flats: 一套房子 (yī tào fáng zi), 一套公寓 (yī tào gōng yù).
Common mistakes
- British learners use 一楼 for the floor above the ground, but in China 一楼 (yī lóu) is the ground floor, so the UK 'first floor' is 二楼 (èr lóu).
- Saying 我去我的家 for 'I'm going home': just say 我回家 (wǒ huí jiā). 回 marks a return, and 我家 (wǒ jiā) without 的 is the natural way to say 'my home'.
Mini dialogue
- A你家住在哪儿？Nǐ jiā zhù zài nǎr?Where do you live?
- B我住在学校旁边的小区，三号楼。Wǒ zhù zài xué xiào páng biān de xiǎo qū, sān hào lóu.I live on the estate next to the school, in Building 3.
- A几楼？有电梯吗？Jǐ lóu? Yǒu diàn tī ma?Which floor? Is there a lift?
- B十二楼，有电梯。我把地址发给你吧。Shí èr lóu, yǒu diàn tī. Wǒ bǎ dì zhǐ fā gěi nǐ ba.The twelfth, and yes, there's a lift. I'll send you the address.
Example sentences
- 他们在城外买了一套房子。They bought a house outside the city.
- 我住在一套小公寓里。I live in a small flat.
- 我家住在三号楼。We live in Building 3.
- 我住在十二层。I live on the twelfth floor.
- 出去的时候请关门。Please close the door when you go out.
- 房间太热了，开一下窗户吧。The room is too hot. Let's open the window.
- 我又忘带钥匙了！I've forgotten my keys again!
- 我们的邻居人很好。Our neighbours are really nice.
- 请把你家的地址发给我。Please send me your home address.
- 这个小区很安静。This housing estate is very quiet.
- 电梯坏了，我们走上去吧。The lift is broken, so let's walk up.
- 上下楼梯要小心。Be careful going up and down the stairs.
- 奶奶在花园里种花。Grandma is planting flowers in the garden.
- 衣服晾在阳台上了。The clothes are hanging on the balcony.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Home speaking island has 8 everyday questions about home to prepare your own answers to.