The Meaning of kazoku [家族] In Japanese

家族
かぞく
Romaji: kazoku N5

What does 家族 mean?

Translation and Meaning

house + clan, family, household

Definition

What does 家族 mean? 家族 (kazoku) means “family” and denotes the set of people tied by kinship, marriage, adoption, or those regarded as members of one’s household; it conveys both the practical unit who live or share responsibilities together and the social/emotional bonds among those people.

Type

noun (名詞, meishi)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. The domestic household composition as a unit distinguished from individuals.
  • 2. Kinship network beyond the immediate household (extended relatives) when context implies broader relations.
  • 3. A collective identity or group when the element 族 (zoku) is used as a suffix to label tribes or subcultures (e.g., a group with common traits).
  • 4. A target demographic in media and marketing — used to indicate family-oriented products or services.

Origin

The social concept of family in Japan has deep roots in the premodern ie household system that organized lineage, property, and household authority; during the Meiji period and through legal changes around family registration (koseki), the modern idea of individual civil family units developed further, and postwar reforms shifted Japan toward smaller nuclear households, shaping contemporary uses of the term.

Composition

  • 家 (ie) — house, home, the domestic space or household.
  • 族 (zoku) — clan, tribe, group sharing lineage or characteristics.
  • Together the characters form a compound meaning a household group or clan, combining the idea of a dwelling/house with a lineage or group to express the concept of “family”.

Usage

Used in both casual and formal speech to refer to someone’s family; a polite prefix is often added when speaking about another’s family. It appears in everyday questions about family size or composition, in legal and administrative contexts to indicate registered relatives, and in compounds and advertising to signal family-related themes or services.
💡 Tips
Picture a house (家 (ie)) full of relatives (族 (zoku)) — that image ties the two kanji to the single word 家族 (kazoku).

Variations

  • 家庭 (katei) — home, household
  • 親族 (shinzoku) — relatives, kin
  • 家 (ie) — house, home, household/lineage
  • ファミリー (famirii) — family (loanword, often casual or marketing)
  • 独身 (dokushin) — single, unmarried (contrast/antonym in some contexts)

Example Phrases

  • 試験前に 家族が いつも 私を 支えてくれて 心強い。
    Shiken mae ni kazoku ga itsumo watashi o sasaete kurete kokorozuyoi.
    My family always supports me before the exam, which feels reassuring.
    Lista:
    • 試験前に (shiken mae ni) – before the exam
    • 家族が (kazoku ga) – the family
    • いつも (itsumo) – always
    • 私を (watashi o) – me
    • 支えてくれて (sasaete kurete) – supporting me
    • 心強い (kokorozuyoi) – reassuring
    心強い here describes the feeling of reassurance due to support; it is an i-adjective used at the end to describe the speaker’s feeling. Put 「」around the target word: 「心強い」.
  • 家族を守るため、私は日々小さな努力を重ねる。
    Kazoku o mamoru tame, watashi wa hibi chiisana doryoku o kasaneru.
    To protect my family, I make small daily efforts.
    Lista:
    • 家族を (kazoku o) – family (object)
    • 守る (mamoru) – to protect
    • ため (tame) – for the purpose
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 日々 (hibi) – daily
    • 小さな (chiisana) – small
    • 努力を (doryoku o) – efforts
    • 重ねる (kasaneru) – to accumulate
    「守る」 is the verb ‘to protect’ used with ため to express purpose.
  • 彼は就職活動の成功を家族に報告した。
    Kare wa shūshoku katsudō no seikō o kazoku ni hōkoku shita.
    He told his family about his job-hunting success.
    Lista:
    • 彼は (kare wa) – he
    • 就職活動の (shūshoku katsudō no) – of job hunting
    • 成功を (seikō o) – the success
    • 家族に (kazoku ni) – to family
    • 報告した (hōkoku shita) – reported
    「成功」 is used as a noun here; 就職活動の成功 forms a noun phrase meaning ‘the success of job hunting’, with の linking the words, and を marking the object of 報告した.
  • 今日は高校を卒業して、家族と祝った。
    Kyou wa koukou o sotsugyou shite, kazoku to iwatta.
    Today I graduated from high school and celebrated with my family.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 高校を (koukou o) – high school (object marker)
    • 卒業して (sotsugyou shite) – graduated and
    • 家族と (kazoku to) – with family
    • 祝った (iwatta) – celebrated
    Core idea: The word 「卒業」 is a noun that takes して to form the te-form 卒業して, connecting the action of graduating to the next action (e.g., celebrating).
  • 私の 結核の 検査を 受けることに なって 家族が 心配だ。
    Watashi no kekkaku no kensa o ukeru koto ni natte, kazoku ga shinpai da.
    The decision has been made that I will undergo a tuberculosis test, and my family is worried.
    Lista:
    • 私の (watashi no) – my
    • 結核の (kekkaku no) – tuberculosis
    • 検査を (kensa o) – test
    • 受けることに (ukeru koto ni) – to undergo
    • なって (natte) – become
    • 家族が (kazoku ga) – family
    • 心配だ (shinpai da) – worried
    この文でのポイントは、病名を指す名詞として「結核」を使い、検査を受けることになるという予定を表す点です。
家族