回家
huíjiā
To say 'go home' in Chinese, use 回家 (huíjiā).
回家 is a common and neutral way to express the action of returning to one's house. You can emphasize the movement of going home by adding 去 to the end, forming 回家去.
Meaning: return to one's house (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the character 回, which means 'to return' or 'to go back'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of returning home is completed, you can add the aspect particle 了 after the verb to get 回了家. Alternatively, adding 了 to the very end of the phrase as 回家了 can signal a change of state, such as 'it is time to go home' or 'he has gone home'.
How do you pronounce it?
huíjiā
When do people say it?
If you want to suggest or invite someone to go home, you can say 走吧，回家吧.
Did you know?
- When someone says 回家 during the Lunar New Year, they are often referring to the 'Spring Festival travel rush', the largest annual human migration on Earth.
- The character 回 in 回家 is itself a perfect visual representation of the concept, as the outer box contains a smaller shape, suggesting a cycle or returning to an enclosed space.
- In Chinese, 家 refers to both the physical 'house' and the 'family'. Consequently, 回家 can mean returning to a building or returning to one's kin.
Examples in context
- 我們想回家。We want to go home.This sentence shows how to express a desire to go home.Tatoeba #6101307 by verdastelo9604, translation #2011453 by CK
- 我回家比較好。I'd better go home.This sentence expresses the idea of it being better to go home.Tatoeba #8215728 by verdastelo9604, translation #2548818 by CK
- 你们必须回家。You have to go home.This sentence expresses an obligation to go home.Tatoeba #9961677 by GlossaMatik, translation #1895736 by CK
- 你什么时候回家啊？When are you going home?
- 68 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
志强 and 雨婷 are finishing a work meeting late in the evening.
- 志强 Zhiqiang太晚了，我想回家。Tài wǎn le, wǒ xiǎng huíjiā.It's too late, I want to go home.
- 雨婷 Yuting我也该回家了。Wǒ yě gāi huíjiā le.I should go home too.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，你要坐车回家吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ yào zuò chē huíjiā ma?Yuting, are you taking a car to go home?
- 雨婷 Yuting不，我走路回家。Bù, wǒ zǒulù huíjiā.No, I am walking home.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “go home” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
