Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 家か a person devoted to, skilled in, or professionally engaged in a field
He is famous as a historian.
〈 事こと 〉 家か として 活かつ 躍やく する to be active/successful as a ~-ist
She is active and successful as a photographer.
Expressions· 7 家か 宝ほう にする treasure as a family heirloom; cherish forever Show 2 more Show fewer Related words 家 marks someone as a skilled or passionate practitioner of a field (画家 , 作家 ), while 者 is a neutral suffix simply meaning "a person who ~" without implying expertise.
士 attaches to words for licensed or formally certified professions (弁護士 , 栄養士 ), whereas 家 attaches more broadly to fields of pursuit or talent (画家 , 政治家 ) without requiring a license.
屋 is a casual, sometimes slightly mocking suffix for shopkeepers or personality traits (頑固屋 ), while 家 is neutral or respectful and used for serious professions or areas of expertise.
家 is a suffix meaning 'specialist' or 'professional' (作家 , 画家 ) with a stronger nuance of expertise, while 者 more broadly marks any agent or role, expert or not.
家 marks an expert or master of a field (音楽家 , 政治家 ) with a sense of mastery, whereas 人 in profession compounds (芸能人 , 社会人 ) is more neutral and doesn't imply special skill.
Word family· 350 Show 25 more Show fewer household appliances; consumer electronics
family; household; whole family · one's own style; school · gang; yakuza family
housework; domestic chores · family affairs; household matters
furniture
domestic animals; livestock
painter; artist
family lineage; pedigree; ancestry
household finances; family budget
house; building
master; expert; authority; leading figure · mansion; large house · rich family; distinguished family
private house; private residence
household management; home economics; housekeeping
hiding place; hideout; refuge · retreat; hideaway; getaway
one's own house · own; personal; autologous
musician
vassal; retainer
(my) wife · inside the home; one's family
domicile; premises; residence
family business; family trade · one's occupation; one's trade
family crest
thinker; philosopher
heirloom; family treasure
family member; household member; occupant
forestry family; family working in the forest industry
head of a family; patriarch; matriarch
See all 350 in Explore →
Etymology From the kanji 家 (house/family), extended to mean a specialist or person associated with a field. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the suffix use is well-established in modern Japanese.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.