<p>Speculations as to why <em>pigs</em> rather than <em>cows</em> form part of the character meaning <em>home</em> comes from some misunderstandings about the characters. Specifically,</p>

<ul>
<li><p>「家」 contains 「豕」 as a corrupted phonetic component rather than a semantic component;</p></li>
<li><p>「牢」 did not originally contain 「宀」, which is a corruption of a drawing of an <em>animal pen</em>.</p></li>
</ul>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Shuōwén</em></a>'s explanation of 「家」 is very close, and it traced the source of the phonetic hint of the character correctly.</p>

<hr>

<p><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">商</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qn3q0.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qn3q0.png" alt="⿵宀"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a>207<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=20268&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集20268</a></kbd></p>

<p>「家」 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese?wprov=srpw1_0#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_%282014%29" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baxter-Sagart OC</a>: <strong>/*kˤra/</strong>, <em>home/dwelling</em>) was originally comprised of semantic <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=27023" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「宀」</a> (<em>building</em>) and phonetic 「」 (also <strong>/*kˤra/</strong>). In the character 「家」, 「」 was very early on corrupted into 「豕」, leading on to the modern form.</p>

<p><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Zfytk.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Zfytk.png" alt="家"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">乙</a>1047<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=13584&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集13584</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西周</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/hJNzN.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/hJNzN.png" alt="家"></a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Gong_ding" rel="nofollow noreferrer">毛公鼎</a><br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2841&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成2841</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">秦</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips" rel="nofollow noreferrer">簡</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Hi1U4.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Hi1U4.png" alt="家"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">法</a>106<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">睡虎地秦簡</a></kbd><kbd>今<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qmdQo.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qmdQo.png" alt="家"></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>

<hr>

<p>「」 (<em>male pig</em>) was originally a picture of a <em>pig</em> 「豕」 with an emphasised reproductive organ, and this word is now written as 「豭」. The glyph evolution compared with 「豕」 is as follows:</p>

<p><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/c6NkK.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/c6NkK.png" alt=""></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">京津</a>1048<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=15346&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集15346</a></kbd><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CWLW2.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CWLW2.png" alt=""></a><br>頌鼎<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2829&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成2829</a></kbd><kbd><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_seal_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">篆</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/NfI78.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NfI78.png" alt=""></a><br><a href="https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&amp;file=77391&amp;page=61" rel="nofollow noreferrer">彑部</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">說文解字</a></kbd><kbd><br><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%9A%B6%E5%AE%9A" rel="nofollow noreferrer">隸定</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/T6BBn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/T6BBn.png" alt=""></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>

<p><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EvGvh.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EvGvh.png" alt="豕"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">佚</a>43<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=20723&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集20723</a></kbd><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/sfvyN.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/sfvyN.png" alt="豕"></a><br>圅皇父簋<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4141&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成4141</a></kbd><kbd><br>篆<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/kWhjZ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/kWhjZ.png" alt="豕"></a><br><a href="https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&amp;file=77391&amp;page=59" rel="nofollow noreferrer">豕部</a><br>說文解字</kbd><kbd>今<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/x4wIA.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/x4wIA.png" alt="豕"></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>

<p><sub>Yes, <em>Shuōwén</em> is a source of some egregious graphical corruptions, and it simultaneously remains as one of the most important sources of modern character standardisation. It is a good starting point for character analysis that shouldn't at all be relied on.</sub></p>

<p><em>Shuōwén</em>'s explanation,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“家，居也。从宀，豭省聲。”</p>
  
  <p>「家」 means <em>dwelling</em>, and is comprised from semantic 「宀」 and abbreviated phonetic 「豭」.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>correctly determined the vocabulary source of the phonetic hint, but did not correctly determine the actual character representing the vocabulary source.</p>

<p>The other explanations which interpret 「豕」 as a semantic hint are (in my opinion) rather far-fetched, although these explanations will pop up everywhere in more conservative accounts of the character. At the very least, the non-association of characters for non-pig animals with the character for the meaning <em>home/dwelling</em> strongly suggests the importance of the phonetic role of 「」.</p>

<hr>

<p>Finally, 「牢」 did not originally contain 「宀」.</p>

<p><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rSlgB.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rSlgB.png" alt="*Animal pen* inscription, original form of 牢"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">摭續</a>90<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=33631&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集33631</a></kbd></p>

<p>The original character was a picture of an <em>animal pen</em>, and sometimes, <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=424" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「羊」 (<em>sheep</em>)</a>, <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=1955" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「馬」 (<em>horse</em>)</a>, or <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=154" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「牛」 (<em>cow</em>)</a> was added to the character:</p>

<p><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EXyGS.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EXyGS.png" alt="*Animal pen* with 羊"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">乙</a>1983<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=903&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集903</a></kbd><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/IRNsu.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/IRNsu.png" alt="*Animal pen* with 馬"></a><br>1.522<br>寧滬新獲甲</kbd><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Af0TZ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Af0TZ.png" alt="*Animal pen* with 牛"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a>392<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=33314&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集33314</a></kbd></p>

<p>The form with <em>cow</em> is the shape which has survived ...</p>

<p><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zWPRz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zWPRz.png" alt="*Animal pen* with 牛"></a><br>貉子卣<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=5409&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成5409</a></kbd></p>

<p>... and the <em>animal pen</em> component was later corrupted into 「宀」 (<em>building</em>).</p>

<p><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period" rel="nofollow noreferrer">戰國</a>・<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楚</a><br>簡<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Tle2D.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Tle2D.png" alt="牢"></a><br>2.77<br>包山楚簡</kbd><kbd>秦<br>簡<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/xsGnL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xsGnL.png" alt="牢"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">日甲</a>65背<br>睡虎地秦簡</kbd><kbd>今<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/eoYTC.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/eoYTC.png" alt="牢"></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>

<hr>

<p><strong>References:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》</li>
<li>季旭昇《說文新證》</li>
<li><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">小學堂</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">國學大師</a>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">郭沫若《甲骨文合集》</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="https://ctext.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中國哲學書電子化計劃</a>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&amp;res=77351" rel="nofollow noreferrer">宋・徐鉉等奉敕校定　漢・許慎《說文解字》</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-22T16:37:31.787Z
In other words: "Phono-semantic compound: semantic 宀 (“roof”) + phonetic 豕 (*jia*)."?
Colin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-22T16:58:53.383Z
and 豭 is a later version of this 豕.
Colin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-22T21:19:15.523Z
@Colin “phonetic 豕 (jia)” is not the way to describe it. 豕 is not pronounced as **jia**; it is a graphical corruption from the original component, and its role in 家 as a phonetic hint has been lost. This is one of my earlier answers, so forgive me for not using more precise terminology :( I’ll clean it up when I can
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-28T13:39:10.740Z
@Colin hopefully that clears it up.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-14T11:20:57.073Z
2020-04-05T01:29:28.133Z
2020-04-05T01:29:28.133Z
dROOOze
<p>The origin form of this word 家 comes from 甲骨文 or 金文</p>

<p>and here is some explanation:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>金文家：古家字從 宀從豕；凡祭，士以羊豕，古者庶士庶人無廟，祭於寢（亦食居之所，故從宀），陳豕（已熟者）於屋下也。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>so the ancient scholars use a goat or pig for a fete in where they sleep and eat (宀), so 家 means put a cooked pig under the house</p>

<p>Hope that answers your question</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T04:31:46.767Z
Interesting, although this seems to be different from the explanation in 说文解字. What is your source?
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T04:43:20.267Z
Here you go: http://baike.baidu.com/subview/11023/14131715.htm
George Chen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T04:44:22.153Z
家 here should be understood as a social institution.
George Chen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T04:51:02.257Z
@GeorgeChen that seems like a different source, and isn't a primary source, it has two contradictory explanations: first it says that it stands for wild boars offered as sacrifices, second it says it means domestic pigs kept inside the house.
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T05:35:30.213Z
家, until recently, was a big word that connoted institution of some sort. The source mentions boars as offerings (祭品), which fits 家's original meaning.
George Chen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T21:01:35.807Z
All those etymological explanations do not address the core part of the OP's question: why is 家, not 牢 selected to mean home? Both had an original meaning of enclosure of animals (for sacrifice purpose).
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T03:55:55.903Z
2014-10-16T03:55:55.903Z
Coderzelf
<p>As you can see <a href="http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E5%AE%B6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>, 家 was already present in 甲骨文 (~3000 years ago) in essentially similar form. Thus 豕 is not an abbreviation for 豭. (edit: though there is a relation. Per dROOOze's answer, 豕 is phonetic in 家, suggesting <em>jia</em>, and 豭 is a later version of this 豕.)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2014-10-17T18:47:56.483Z
2020-03-22T16:53:44.730Z
2020-03-22T16:53:44.730Z
Colin
<p>I think that's because people feed pigs at home. this place will not move, but people have to go out to plant rice or something, this place they feed pigs is a place they will come back to rest and live, so this is home. 
just guess.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T09:04:12.553Z
2014-10-16T09:04:12.553Z
Peng  Zup
<p>From my understanding of the Chinese culture, the typical concept of a Chinese "home" means a plot of land, a house, and some pigs or other animals that help support the family. I guess some time in the past the pigs became so important or so significant for a family that the word "home" is named after it. Although the modern "home" has changed since the time when a significant number of Chinese are farmers, the concept and the Chinese character remain.</p>

<p>EDIT: My guess for the etymology 牢 is that, in comparison to the more ubiquitous pigs, not every home has cows or oxen, and oxen are relatively more aggressive animals. So, as jails are for  aggressive people (kind of), 牢 is for aggressive animals.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T00:27:11.127Z
2014-10-16T00:27:11.127Z
Timothy Gu
<p>@coderzelf's answer is probably most accurate, but I'd like to share an anecdote about my humble origin.</p>

<p>Towards the end of Qing dynasty, Han Chinese from Northern China migrated in waves into Manchuria where land was vast and labours were few. In order to survive the harsh winter, new comers would ask landlords to allow them to share roofs with their pigs. Often times, the hosts would keep the most promising lads. Many of these teens showed remarkable vitality after they grew up and married into their hosts family. By contrast, those who went to cities and hoped to make it in the streets were all frozen hard over night.</p>

<p>Northern China was overall very cold. We can imagine how people keep warm in ancient times. I know Vikings shared roofs with cows in Greenland.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T04:37:30.090Z
Why the downvote? It is an interesting cultural fact which might have its roots 5000 years ago and is possibly related to the origin of the word. No one recorded the motives on the creation of Chinese characters. Even the ancient dictionaries contain wild speculations. It's just something that is impossible to know for sure.
Wang Dingwei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T05:07:36.963Z
@WangDingwei - Thanks for understanding. According to Bertrand Russell's theory of knowledge, analogy is one of the postulates that validates scientific inferences. In this case, at least, it gives us a clue.
George Chen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T05:07:03.330Z
2014-10-16T05:07:03.330Z
George Chen
<p>The meaning behind the radicals used for 家, as explained on page 93 of a book titled "<a href="http://chineasy.org/" rel="nofollow">Chineasy: The New Way to Read Chinese</a>":</p>

<p><strong>"In ancient China, pigs were raised indoors to keep them safe. Pigs in the house then became associated with a bountiful home."</strong></p>

<p>I know anecdotal references aren't much, but I'd like to include that my Mandarin language teacher (from Beijing) has also explained the same reasoning, and even passed out illustrations made by another source depicting this explanation. If I find the illustrations later, I'll post them.</p>

<p><b>EDIT:</b> Adding info about 牢 liao2, as brought up by OP.</p>

<p>The meaning behind the radicals used for 牢, as described by <a href="http://chineasy.org/basics/set-1/roof/prison.aspx?compound=1831" rel="nofollow">Chineasy.org</a>:</p>

<p><b>"The compound for Prison (牢) is comprised of the building block for Roof (宀) and Cow (牛). Cows that were kept in a household were used as beasts of burden. So though the original meaning of this compound was “fold, pen”, it has since extended to mean, “prison” as a noun (監牢) and “firm” (牢固) as an adjective."</b> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-15T22:56:03.807Z
May I ask why this was down voted? If anything, to help me understand how to better answer questions?
slufter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-20T14:45:21.760Z
2014-10-22T18:53:11.277Z
2014-10-22T18:53:11.277Z
slufter
<p>As I have just consulted a dictionary, the earliest house in ancient China was just for fete or family meetings, and "豕" stands for wild boar, which was very rare sacrifice that time,,so it's ceremonious. And then the houses were used for living, the word "家" changed its meaning.
Hope this answer can help you.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-12T16:01:00.717Z
2016-04-12T16:01:00.717Z
diudiu
<p>The character <a href="http://www.zdic.net/z/18/js/5BB6.htm">家</a> is a bit of a joke: it describes a dwelling (宀) for pigs (豕). Why is this strange construction used? Were pigs somehow important for homes in the past?</p>

<p>说文解字 describes 家 as 从宀，豭省聲 - that is, it uses 豭 (jiā) as phonetic. But then this raises the question: why use 豭 instead of the much simpler 叚 (jiǎ)?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>何以不云叚聲。而紆回至此耶。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Therefore the author suspects that the character did indeed originally mean "a dwelling for pigs":</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>竊謂此篆本義乃豕之凥也。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But this raises another question: why did a dwelling for pigs come to mean home? By contrast, 牢 (a dwelling for oxen) has come to mean "jail". Was the choice of animal therefore arbitrary, or were pigs somehow more important in the past - did people keep pigs in the house? - or did having pigs in the house signify something home-like?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-15T13:26:41.270Z
Indeed pigs were important in the past as they were nearly the only source of oil/fat. Some ancient texts even mentioned how to pick pigs at the market -- if a pig's hind legs are fatty then it must be a good pig, in the sense the whole pig must be fatty because hind legs usually contains least fat.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-15T13:30:28.270Z
regarding 牢, the original meaning was the enclosure within which one keeps cattle. This brings forth the sense of prison.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-15T13:42:53.247Z
One explanation why 'house' is associated with pig is that it happened in the past that a boar could come over night and impregnate enclosed sows. This suggests some sort of strong reproductive capacity. And people wanted to be reproductive at the time.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-18T07:41:35.703Z
Wild guess: bulls are raging, hence 'housing a bull' implies imprisonment; pigs are growing fast, hence 'housing a pig' implies nurturing.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-20T12:35:09.987Z
You are taking "豭省聲" as a given, but is there any evidence for that? 说文解字 is notorious for having errors, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is a mistake.
HAL
<glyph-origin>
家: why is a home a place for pigs?
# 家: why is a home a place for pigs?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-15)

The character [家](http://www.zdic.net/z/18/js/5BB6.htm) is a bit of a joke: it describes a dwelling (宀) for pigs (豕). Why is this strange construction used? Were pigs somehow important for homes in the past?

说文解字 describes 家 as 从宀，豭省聲 - that is, it uses 豭 (jiā) as phonetic. But then this raises the question: why use 豭 instead of the much simpler 叚 (jiǎ)?

> 何以不云叚聲。而紆回至此耶。

Therefore the author suspects that the character did indeed originally mean "a dwelling for pigs":

> 竊謂此篆本義乃豕之凥也。

But this raises another question: why did a dwelling for pigs come to mean home? By contrast, 牢 (a dwelling for oxen) has come to mean "jail". Was the choice of animal therefore arbitrary, or were pigs somehow more important in the past - did people keep pigs in the house? - or did having pigs in the house signify something home-like?

**Tags:** glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Indeed pigs were important in the past as they were nearly the only source of oil/fat. Some ancient texts even mentioned how to pick pigs at the market -- if a pig's hind legs are fatty then it must be a good pig, in the sense the whole pig must be fatty because hind legs usually contains least fat.  
> **username_1**: regarding 牢, the original meaning was the enclosure within which one keeps cattle. This brings forth the sense of prison.  
> **username_1**: One explanation why 'house' is associated with pig is that it happened in the past that a boar could come over night and impregnate enclosed sows. This suggests some sort of strong reproductive capacity. And people wanted to be reproductive at the time.  
> **username_2**: Wild guess: bulls are raging, hence 'housing a bull' implies imprisonment; pigs are growing fast, hence 'housing a pig' implies nurturing.  
> **username_3**: You are taking "豭省聲" as a given, but is there any evidence for that? 说文解字 is notorious for having errors, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is a mistake.  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-08-14. Score: 8

Speculations as to why *pigs* rather than *cows* form part of the character meaning *home* comes from some misunderstandings about the characters. Specifically,

* 「家」 contains 「豕」 as a corrupted phonetic component rather than a semantic component;
* 「牢」 did not originally contain 「宀」, which is a corruption of a drawing of an *animal pen*.

[*Shuōwén*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi)'s explanation of 「家」 is very close, and it traced the source of the phonetic hint of the character correctly.

---

`商  
甲  
![⿵宀](https://i.sstatic.net/qn3q0.png)  
甲207  
合集20268`

「家」 ([Baxter-Sagart OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese?wprov=srpw1_0#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_%282014%29): **/\*kˤra/**, *home/dwelling*) was originally comprised of semantic [「宀」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=27023) (*building*) and phonetic 「」 (also **/\*kˤra/**). In the character 「家」, 「」 was very early on corrupted into 「豕」, leading on to the modern form.

`商  
甲  
![家](https://i.sstatic.net/Zfytk.png)  
乙1047  
合集13584``西周  
金  
![家](https://i.sstatic.net/hJNzN.png)  
毛公鼎  
集成2841``秦  
簡  
![家](https://i.sstatic.net/Hi1U4.png)  
法106  
睡虎地秦簡``今  
楷  
![家](https://i.sstatic.net/qmdQo.png)`

---

「」 (*male pig*) was originally a picture of a *pig* 「豕」 with an emphasised reproductive organ, and this word is now written as 「豭」. The glyph evolution compared with 「豕」 is as follows:

`商  
甲  
![](https://i.sstatic.net/c6NkK.png)  
京津1048  
合集15346``西周  
金  
![](https://i.sstatic.net/CWLW2.png)  
頌鼎  
集成2829` `篆  
![](https://i.sstatic.net/NfI78.png)  
彑部  
說文解字` `隸定  
![](https://i.sstatic.net/T6BBn.png)`

`商  
甲  
![豕](https://i.sstatic.net/EvGvh.png)  
佚43  
合集20723``西周  
金  
![豕](https://i.sstatic.net/sfvyN.png)  
圅皇父簋  
集成4141` `篆  
![豕](https://i.sstatic.net/kWhjZ.png)  
豕部  
說文解字``今  
楷  
![豕](https://i.sstatic.net/x4wIA.png)`

Yes, *Shuōwén* is a source of some egregious graphical corruptions, and it simultaneously remains as one of the most important sources of modern character standardisation. It is a good starting point for character analysis that shouldn't at all be relied on.

*Shuōwén*'s explanation,

> “家，居也。从宀，豭省聲。”
>
> 「家」 means *dwelling*, and is comprised from semantic 「宀」 and abbreviated phonetic 「豭」.

correctly determined the vocabulary source of the phonetic hint, but did not correctly determine the actual character representing the vocabulary source.

The other explanations which interpret 「豕」 as a semantic hint are (in my opinion) rather far-fetched, although these explanations will pop up everywhere in more conservative accounts of the character. At the very least, the non-association of characters for non-pig animals with the character for the meaning *home/dwelling* strongly suggests the importance of the phonetic role of 「」.

---

Finally, 「牢」 did not originally contain 「宀」.

`商  
甲  
![*Animal pen* inscription, original form of 牢](https://i.sstatic.net/rSlgB.png)  
摭續90  
合集33631`

The original character was a picture of an *animal pen*, and sometimes, [「羊」 (*sheep*)](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=424), [「馬」 (*horse*)](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=1955), or [「牛」 (*cow*)](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=154) was added to the character:

`商  
甲  
![*Animal pen* with 羊](https://i.sstatic.net/EXyGS.png)  
乙1983  
合集903``商  
甲  
![*Animal pen* with 馬](https://i.sstatic.net/IRNsu.png)  
1.522  
寧滬新獲甲``商  
甲  
![*Animal pen* with 牛](https://i.sstatic.net/Af0TZ.png)  
甲392  
合集33314`

The form with *cow* is the shape which has survived ...

`西周  
金  
![*Animal pen* with 牛](https://i.sstatic.net/zWPRz.png)  
貉子卣  
集成5409`

... and the *animal pen* component was later corrupted into 「宀」 (*building*).

`戰國・楚  
簡  
![牢](https://i.sstatic.net/Tle2D.png)  
2.77  
包山楚簡``秦  
簡  
![牢](https://i.sstatic.net/xsGnL.png)  
日甲65背  
睡虎地秦簡``今  
楷  
![牢](https://i.sstatic.net/eoYTC.png)`

---

**References:**

* 黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》
* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
* [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
  + [郭沫若《甲骨文合集》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/)
  + [中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/)
* [中國哲學書電子化計劃](https://ctext.org/)
  + [宋・徐鉉等奉敕校定　漢・許慎《說文解字》](https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&res=77351)

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: In other words: "Phono-semantic compound: semantic 宀 (“roof”) + phonetic 豕 (*jia*)."?  
> **username_5**: and 豭 is a later version of this 豕.  
> **username_4**: @username_5 “phonetic 豕 (jia)” is not the way to describe it. 豕 is not pronounced as **jia**; it is a graphical corruption from the original component, and its role in 家 as a phonetic hint has been lost. This is one of my earlier answers, so forgive me for not using more precise terminology :( I’ll clean it up when I can  
> **username_4**: @username_5 hopefully that clears it up.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-10-16. Score: 6

The origin form of this word 家 comes from 甲骨文 or 金文

and here is some explanation:

> 金文家：古家字從 宀從豕；凡祭，士以羊豕，古者庶士庶人無廟，祭於寢（亦食居之所，故從宀），陳豕（已熟者）於屋下也。

so the ancient scholars use a goat or pig for a fete in where they sleep and eat (宀), so 家 means put a cooked pig under the house

Hope that answers your question

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Interesting, although this seems to be different from the explanation in 说文解字. What is your source?  
> **username_7**: Here you go: http://baike.baidu.com/subview/11023/14131715.htm  
> **username_7**: 家 here should be understood as a social institution.  
> **username_0**: @GeorgeChen that seems like a different source, and isn't a primary source, it has two contradictory explanations: first it says that it stands for wild boars offered as sacrifices, second it says it means domestic pigs kept inside the house.  
> **username_7**: 家, until recently, was a big word that connoted institution of some sort. The source mentions boars as offerings (祭品), which fits 家's original meaning.  
> **username_1**: All those etymological explanations do not address the core part of the OP's question: why is 家, not 牢 selected to mean home? Both had an original meaning of enclosure of animals (for sacrifice purpose).  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-10-17. Score: 2

As you can see [here](http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E5%AE%B6), 家 was already present in 甲骨文 (~3000 years ago) in essentially similar form. Thus 豕 is not an abbreviation for 豭. (edit: though there is a relation. Per username_4's answer, 豕 is phonetic in 家, suggesting *jia*, and 豭 is a later version of this 豕.)


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-10-16. Score: 1

I think that's because people feed pigs at home. this place will not move, but people have to go out to plant rice or something, this place they feed pigs is a place they will come back to rest and live, so this is home.
just guess.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2014-10-16. Score: 0

From my understanding of the Chinese culture, the typical concept of a Chinese "home" means a plot of land, a house, and some pigs or other animals that help support the family. I guess some time in the past the pigs became so important or so significant for a family that the word "home" is named after it. Although the modern "home" has changed since the time when a significant number of Chinese are farmers, the concept and the Chinese character remain.

EDIT: My guess for the etymology 牢 is that, in comparison to the more ubiquitous pigs, not every home has cows or oxen, and oxen are relatively more aggressive animals. So, as jails are for aggressive people (kind of), 牢 is for aggressive animals.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2014-10-16. Score: 0

@coderzelf's answer is probably most accurate, but I'd like to share an anecdote about my humble origin.

Towards the end of Qing dynasty, Han Chinese from Northern China migrated in waves into Manchuria where land was vast and labours were few. In order to survive the harsh winter, new comers would ask landlords to allow them to share roofs with their pigs. Often times, the hosts would keep the most promising lads. Many of these teens showed remarkable vitality after they grew up and married into their hosts family. By contrast, those who went to cities and hoped to make it in the streets were all frozen hard over night.

Northern China was overall very cold. We can imagine how people keep warm in ancient times. I know Vikings shared roofs with cows in Greenland.

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: Why the downvote? It is an interesting cultural fact which might have its roots 5000 years ago and is possibly related to the origin of the word. No one recorded the motives on the creation of Chinese characters. Even the ancient dictionaries contain wild speculations. It's just something that is impossible to know for sure.  
> **username_7**: @WangDingwei - Thanks for understanding. According to Bertrand Russell's theory of knowledge, analogy is one of the postulates that validates scientific inferences. In this case, at least, it gives us a clue.  

---

### Answer by username_11 on 2014-10-20. Score: 0

The meaning behind the radicals used for 家, as explained on page 93 of a book titled "[Chineasy: The New Way to Read Chinese](http://chineasy.org/)":

**"In ancient China, pigs were raised indoors to keep them safe. Pigs in the house then became associated with a bountiful home."**

I know anecdotal references aren't much, but I'd like to include that my Mandarin language teacher (from Beijing) has also explained the same reasoning, and even passed out illustrations made by another source depicting this explanation. If I find the illustrations later, I'll post them.

**EDIT:** Adding info about 牢 liao2, as brought up by OP.

The meaning behind the radicals used for 牢, as described by [Chineasy.org](http://chineasy.org/basics/set-1/roof/prison.aspx?compound=1831):

**"The compound for Prison (牢) is comprised of the building block for Roof (宀) and Cow (牛). Cows that were kept in a household were used as beasts of burden. So though the original meaning of this compound was “fold, pen”, it has since extended to mean, “prison” as a noun (監牢) and “firm” (牢固) as an adjective."**

> **Comments:**
> **username_11**: May I ask why this was down voted? If anything, to help me understand how to better answer questions?  

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### Answer by username_12 on 2016-04-12. Score: -1

As I have just consulted a dictionary, the earliest house in ancient China was just for fete or family meetings, and "豕" stands for wild boar, which was very rare sacrifice that time,,so it's ceremonious. And then the houses were used for living, the word "家" changed its meaning.
Hope this answer can help you.


---

