宜家
Yíjiā
宜家 (Yíjiā) is the Chinese name for the international Swedish retailer IKEA.
This term is used to refer to the furniture and home goods retailer.
Meaning: international, originally Swedish retailer (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of two characters: 宜 (yí), which means 'suitable' and 家 (jiā), which means 'family' or 'home'. Together, they convey the idea of being 'suitable for a family' or an 'appropriate household'.
How do you pronounce it?
Yíjiā
When do people say it?
The name was specifically chosen to sound like 'IKEA' while using characters that suggest the brand is 'suitable for a home'.
Did you know?
- Because 宜 is often found in traditional Chinese almanacs to indicate 'auspicious' days for specific activities, the name 宜家 subtly suggests that the store brings good fortune to a home.
- Many foreign brands in China use this same method of phono-semantic matching, such as 可口可乐 for Coca-Cola, which sounds similar and means 'tasty and fun'.
- The name 宜家 is a textbook example of 'phono-semantic matching', where translators pick characters that both mimic the foreign sound and provide a positive meaning.
Examples in context
- 今天我去宜家购买了一些家具。Today, I went to IKEA to buy some furniture.
- 我想去宜家买桌子。Wǒ xiǎng qù Yíjiā mǎi zhuōzi.I want to go to Ikea to buy a table.
- 宜家的家具很漂亮。Yíjiā de jiājù hěn piàoliang.Ikea's furniture is very beautiful.
- 他在宜家工作。Tā zài Yíjiā gōngzuò.He works at Ikea.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing where to buy home decorations.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，你想去哪儿买沙发？Xiǎowén, nǐ xiǎng qù nǎ'er mǎi shāfā?Xiaowen, where do you want to buy a sofa?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们去宜家看看吧。Wǒmen qù Yíjiā kànkan ba.Let's go to Ikea and have a look.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好，宜家的东西挺实用的。Hǎo, Yíjiā de dōngxi tǐng shíyòng de.Okay, Ikea's things are quite practical.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen对，我也很喜欢那里的风格。Duì, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān nàlǐ de fēnggé.True, I also really like their style.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ikea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 宜家, CC BY-SA 4.0.
