xiǎng jiā: 想家 - To be homesick, to miss home

• Keywords: xiǎng jiā, xiang jia, 想家, to be homesick, to miss home, missing home in Chinese, Chinese word for homesickness, Chinese culture family, HSK 3 vocabulary
• Summary: Learn the meaning, cultural significance, and practical usage of 想家 (xiǎng jiā), the essential Chinese phrase for “being homesick.” This comprehensive guide for Mandarin learners breaks down the characters, provides 10 real-world example sentences, and explores the deep connection between 想家 and the importance of family (家) in Chinese culture. Understand how to express this universal feeling authentically.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): xiǎng jiā
• Part of Speech: Verb-object phrase (functions as a verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: To miss one's home and family; to be homesick.
• In a Nutshell: 想家 is the most direct and common way to express the feeling of being homesick in Mandarin Chinese. It's a compound of “to miss/think of” (想) and “home/family” (家). While the feeling is universal, the “家” in Chinese culture carries a profound weight, often referring to one's entire family unit, hometown, and sense of origin, not just a physical building.

• 想 (xiǎng): This character means “to think,” “to believe,” or, in this context, “to miss” or “to long for.” It's composed of 相 (xiāng), meaning “mutual,” and 心 (xīn), the character for “heart.” This beautifully illustrates a thought or feeling that originates from the heart.
• 家 (jiā): This character means “home,” “family,” or “household.” The top part (宀) is a radical representing a “roof,” and the bottom part (豕) is a pictogram of a “pig.” In ancient China, having a pig under one's roof was a symbol of a settled, prosperous home.

When combined, 想家 (xiǎng jiā) literally means “to miss home/family,” creating a simple, intuitive, and emotionally resonant term for homesickness.

In Chinese culture, the family (家, jiā) is the foundational pillar of society. The concept of home extends far beyond a physical dwelling to include one's parents, grandparents, ancestral roots, and hometown (家乡, jiāxiāng). Therefore, the feeling of 想家 is deeply ingrained in the cultural psyche. Leaving home for education or work is often seen as a necessary sacrifice for the family's future. This act is colored with a sense of duty and filial piety (孝, xiào). As a result, being homesick is not just a personal feeling of sadness but a natural and expected consequence of fulfilling one's obligations. Comparison to Western “Homesickness”: While the core emotion is the same, the cultural weight is different. In the West, “homesickness” is often associated with missing personal comforts, friends, and one's independent space. While this is part of 想家, the Chinese term is more heavily centered on longing for the family unit, the local food, and the sense of belonging to a collective. It's especially potent during major holidays like the Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié), when family reunion (团圆, tuányuán) is paramount. Admitting you 想家 is seen as a sign of your strong family bonds, not as a weakness.

想家 is an extremely common and versatile phrase used in everyday, informal conversation.

• Students and Travelers: International students and those studying in different provinces frequently use it to express their feelings to friends and family.
• Migrant Workers: China has a vast population of workers who leave their rural hometowns to work in big cities. For them, 想家 is a constant and shared experience, often discussed with fellow workers from the same region.
• Social Media: It's common to see posts on WeChat or Weibo saying “有点想家了” (yǒudiǎnr xiǎngjiā le - I'm a bit homesick), often accompanied by a picture of their hometown or a home-cooked meal.

The connotation is generally neutral to slightly melancholic. It's a way to share a moment of vulnerability and connect with others over a shared human experience.

• Example 1:
  • 我一个人在国外，有时候会想家。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ yí ge rén zài guówài, yǒushíhou huì xiǎng jiā.
  • English: I'm abroad by myself, sometimes I get homesick.
  • Analysis: A simple and common statement expressing the feeling. `一个人 (yí ge rén)` emphasizes being alone, which often triggers the feeling of 想家.
• Example 2:
  • 你想家吗？要不要我陪你聊聊天？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ xiǎng jiā ma? Yàobuyào wǒ péi nǐ liáoliao tiān?
  • English: Are you homesick? Do you want me to chat with you for a while?
  • Analysis: A caring question you can ask a friend who seems down. It shows how discussing 想家 is a way to offer support.
• Example 3:
  • 吃了这碗牛肉面，我更想家了，味道跟我妈妈做的一模一样。
  • Pinyin: Chīle zhè wǎn niúròu miàn, wǒ gèng xiǎng jiā le, wèidao gēn wǒ māma zuò de yìmúyíyàng.
  • English: After eating this bowl of beef noodles, I miss home even more; the taste is exactly the same as my mom's cooking.
  • Analysis: This highlights the strong connection between food and homesickness in Chinese culture.
• Example 4:
  • 别担心，刚来的时候大家都会想家，过一阵子就好了。
  • Pinyin: Bié dānxīn, gāng lái de shíhou dàjiā dōu huì xiǎng jiā, guò yízhènzi jiù hǎo le.
  • English: Don't worry, everyone is homesick when they first arrive. It will get better after a while.
  • Analysis: A reassuring phrase used to comfort someone new to a place.
• Example 5:
  • 每到中秋节，不能回家的人就特别想家。
  • Pinyin: Měi dào Zhōngqiūjié, bù néng huí jiā de rén jiù tèbié xiǎng jiā.
  • English: Every Mid-Autumn Festival, people who can't go home get especially homesick.
  • Analysis: Connects 想家 to a specific cultural event centered on family reunion.
• Example 6:
  • 他看起来闷闷不乐的，可能是想家了。
  • Pinyin: Tā kànqǐlái mènmènbúlè de, kěnéng shì xiǎng jiā le.
  • English: He looks down and unhappy, maybe he's homesick.
  • Analysis: Shows how you can use 想家 to speculate about someone's mood.
• Example 7:
  • 这里的活动太丰富了，我一点儿也不想家！
  • Pinyin: Zhèlǐ de huódòng tài fēngfù le, wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bù xiǎng jiā!
  • English: The activities here are so rich, I'm not homesick at all!
  • Analysis: Demonstrates the negative form, often said with excitement to express how well one is adjusting.
• Example 8:
  • 孩子第一次去夏令营，不知道他会不会想家。
  • Pinyin: Háizi dì yī cì qù xiàlìngyíng, bù zhīdào tā huì bu huì xiǎng jiā.
  • English: It's the child's first time at summer camp, I wonder if he will be homesick.
  • Analysis: Used from a parent's perspective.
• Example 9:
  • 听着家乡的方言，我突然很想家。
  • Pinyin: Tīngzhe jiāxiāng de fāngyán, wǒ tūrán hěn xiǎng jiā.
  • English: Listening to my hometown dialect, I suddenly became very homesick.
  • Analysis: Shows how sensory experiences, like hearing a familiar dialect, can trigger the feeling.
• Example 10:
  • 只要能跟家人视频，我就不那么想家了。
  • Pinyin: Zhǐyào néng gēn jiārén shìpín, wǒ jiù bù nàme xiǎng jiā le.
  • English: As long as I can video chat with my family, I don't feel so homesick.
  • Analysis: A modern solution to the age-old feeling of 想家.

• Mistake 1: Confusing 想 (xiǎng) “to miss” with “to think”.
  • While 想 can mean “to think,” the phrase 想家 specifically means “to be homesick.” If you say “我正在想我的家 (Wǒ zhèngzài xiǎng wǒde jiā),” it sounds like “I am currently thinking about my house (the physical building).”
  • Correct: 我想家了。(Wǒ xiǎngjiā le.) - I'm homesick.
  • Incorrect: 我在想家。(Wǒ zài xiǎngjiā.) - This is grammatically awkward. The `了 (le)` is almost always used to indicate the change of state into being homesick.
• Mistake 2: Overusing it for other things.
  • 想家 is a set phrase. You cannot swap 家 (jiā) for other nouns to mean you miss them. For example, you can't say “我想学校 (wǒ xiǎng xuéxiào)” for “I miss school.”
  • Correct for people: 我想你 (Wǒ xiǎng nǐ) - I miss you.
  • Correct for places/experiences: 我怀念大学生活。(Wǒ huáiniàn dàxué shēnghuó.) - I miss/reminisce about my university life. Use 怀念 (huáiniàn) for missing a time, place, or experience from the past.

• 家乡 (jiāxiāng) - Hometown. The place you are from; often the object of your homesickness.
• 老家 (lǎojiā) - A more colloquial term for hometown or ancestral home.
• 故乡 (gùxiāng) - Hometown. A more literary or poetic equivalent of 家乡.
• 怀念 (huáiniàn) - To reminisce; to cherish the memory of. A broader term for missing something or someone from the past.
• 思念 (sīniàn) - To miss, to long for. More formal and often deeper than 想, used for people or one's homeland.
• 想你 (xiǎng nǐ) - I miss you. Shows the direct use of 想 (xiǎng) to express missing a person.
• 团圆 (tuányuán) - To reunite (as a family). This is the cultural goal and the ultimate cure for being homesick.
• 春节 (Chūnjié) - Spring Festival / Chinese New Year. The most important holiday for family reunion, making it the peak time for feeling 想家.