Kazoku is the Japanese word for ‘family’, explained

What does “kazoku” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say kazoku to mean a ‘family’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand kazoku more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kazoku”
• Kazoku in kanji
  • How to say “family” in Japanese
  • Another example of “kazoku”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kazoku”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of kazoku.

• kazoku – 家族 (かぞく) : a noun meaning a ‘family’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a group of people who are related to each other by blood and often living together. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English noun, family, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kazoku in kanji

The kanji expression of kazoku consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 家 : a kanji character used to mean a ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Japanese.
• 族 : a kanji character used to refer to a group of similar people or things.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that kazoku literally means a ‘group of people in the same house’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still very understandable, I think.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of kazoku through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of kazoku together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “family” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kanojo to make the subject in the sentence.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after kazoku to make the object in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before suki to emphasize its meaning.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, sukina, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after suki to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of kazoku. When we want to mean a ‘family’ in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.

Another example of “kazoku”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after watashi to make its plural form, watashi tachi, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
• yonin – 四人 (よにん) : a word meaning ‘four people’ in Japanese. Yo here is a numeral which means ‘four’ in Japanese; nin is a counter for people.

This is another example of kazoku. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, yonin kazoku, which means a ‘family of four’ in Japanese. Occasionally Japanese native speakers use this phrase in conversations, so it’s worth knowing.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of kazoku in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kazoku – 家族 (かぞく) : a noun meaning a ‘family’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a group of people who are related to each other by blood and often living together. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, family. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘group of people in the same house’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still very understandable, I think.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.