家用

• Pinyin: jiā yòng
• Hanzi breakdown: 家 = 宀 + 豕 (roof + pig — a household with livestock); 用 = 甩 variant (to use/employ)

Meaning

Household; for domestic use; household expenses. As an adjective, describes items designed for home rather than commercial or industrial use.

Commonly used to categorise products (家用电器 — household appliances, 家用汽车 — family car) or to refer to household expenses and budgeting (贴补家用 — contribute to household expenses). Distinguishes consumer-grade from professional-grade equipment.

Examples

1. 这款家用净水器采用多级过滤技术，能有效去除水中的有害物质和杂质。 This home water purifier uses multi-stage filtration and can effectively remove harmful substances and impurities from the water.
2. 他每月都会把一部分工资寄回老家贴补家用，减轻父母的经济负担。 Every month he sends part of his salary back home to help with household expenses and ease his parents’ financial burden.
3. 与商用设备相比，家用健身器材在设计上更注重安全性和便捷性。 Compared with commercial equipment, home fitness gear is designed with more emphasis on safety and convenience.

Usage Guide

Context: consumer products, household, economics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这款家用空调不仅节能环保，而且运行时噪音极低，非常适合卧室使用。(This household air conditioner is not only energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, but also operates with extremely low noise, making it very suitable for bedroom use.)
• 为了贴补家用，她利用业余时间做一些翻译和校对的兼职工作。(To contribute to household expenses, she does some part-time translation and proofreading work in her spare time.)

Don't Say

• 家用来做饭 — incorrect structure; 家用 is a compound adjective/noun, not 家 + 用; use 家里用来做饭 for 'used at home for cooking'

Origin & History

家 (home/family) + 用 (use/for)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal