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

  • 彼は 私に 「そっくり」 だと、 家族は 本当に 驚いた。
    Kare wa watashi ni 「sokkuri」 da to, kazoku wa hontō ni odoroita.
    He is the spitting image of me, and the family was really surprised.
    Lista:
    • 彼は (kare wa) – he
    • 私に (watashi ni) – to me
    • 「そっくり」 (sokkuri) – exact likeness
    • だと、 (da to,) – that
    • 家族は (kazoku wa) – the family
    • 本当に (hontō ni) – really
    • 驚いた。 (odoroita.) – was surprised
    そっくり means ‘a perfect likeness’; here it is used as 「そっくり」 with に to express resemblance to someone else, followed by だ.
  • 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).
  • 現在の所在を調べて家族に連絡した。
    genzai no shozai o shirabete kazoku ni renraku shita.
    I checked my current whereabouts and contacted my family.
    Lista:
    • 現在の (genzai no) – current
    • 所在 (shozai) – location
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 調べて (shirabete) – checking
    • 家族 (kazoku) – family
    • に (ni) – to
    • 連絡 (renraku) – contact
    • した (shita) – did
    Here, 「所在」 is a noun meaning ‘location’ or ‘whereabouts’ and is used with の to form 現在の所在, meaning ‘current whereabouts’.
  • 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.
  • 家族との 繋がりを 大切に して います。
    kazoku to no tsunagari o taisetsu ni shite imasu
    I am cherishing the bond with my family.
    Lista:
    • 家族との (kazoku to no) – with family
    • 繋がりを (tsunagari o) – bond
    • 大切に (taisetsu ni) – treasure
    • して (shite) – do
    • います (imasu) – am
    A palavra 「繋がり」 funciona como um substantivo que significa ‘bond’ ou ‘conexão’; neste contexto, é usado com 家族との para indicar o vínculo com a família.
家族