A question about the vocab 「家」

Japanese
#1

After making sure you’ve searched for your question, please write your question here.i was taught this kanji was pronounced “ie”, and that is what it sounds like in the audio. However, all the examples have furigana “uchi” above this kanji. Why is that?

3 Likes
#2

Welcome to the forums!

There are several vocab entries for 家 with different pronunciation and meaning (you can find them through Search):

Furigana is correct, it’s filled in by Bunpro staff. Voiceover in vocab is provided by TTS engine and can sometimes be wrong.

1 Like
#3

Both readings are correct. For the most part it’s mainly a question of nuance.
When saying いえ it more so refers to the physical building, while うち has a more “emotional” meaning to it. Think of it as the difference between house and home in English.

2 Likes
#4

Usually kanji will have more than one way of reading it depending on the context. 家（いえ）means house while 家（うち）means home.

1 Like
#5

I started Bunpro a couple of weeks ago and I believe I once typed “ie”, but got a tip explaining the nuance about “uchi” meaning home (vs ie = house). These tips are great for learning!

3 Likes
#6

Very helpful, thanks everyone!

1 Like