Suffix attached to surnames to refer to a family or household, often in formal or historical contexts.
The Tokugawa family is a lineage that produced shoguns during the Edo period.
あの家は代々医者の家だ。
That family has been a family of doctors for generations.
head family; main house; original family · originator; founder; birthplace
royal family
entering the priesthood; becoming a monk · priest; monk
retainer; vassal; follower
samurai family; samurai class; samurai stock · samurai; warrior
imperial prince's household; princely house
both families; both houses
head of family; head house · sōke; founder of a style; originator
shogun's family; family positioned to accede to the shogunate
one's specialty; one's forte · specialty of a kabuki school
branch family; cadet family; establishing a branch family
this family; our family; this house; we
good family; respectable family
widow
another family; another house
layperson; laity · country home; farmhouse; cottage
Senke school of tea ceremony
court noble; kuge; nobility · Imperial Court
three noble families (Kan'in, Kazan'in, Nakanoin or Koga) · three branches of the Tokugawa family (Owari, Kii, Mito)
Buddhist priest
the eight early Japanese Buddhist sects · the eight Japanese monks who visited China in the early Heian period
branch family; cadet family · setting up a new shop under the same name after leaving one's employer · separate house
the said family; the same family
rich family; distinguished family
retainer; vassal; servant
steward for high-ranking nobles (Heian period) · administrative official (Kamakura and Muromachi periods)
Zen master
Standard kanji spelling for this suffix.
The suffix け is derived from the noun いえ (house, family) through regular sound change and is used to indicate a family or household, especially after a surname.