<p>It's just asking how many people are living with you(yourself included).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-28T02:39:04.410Z
2017-09-28T02:39:04.410Z
Alvin Cao
<p>In theory, '你家有几口人？' means '你家 <strong><em>住</em></strong> 有几口人？'. Everybody lives in the same house.</p>

<p>In practice, if you are single, you might want to add your siblings though they might have their own families. </p>

<p>If you live separately from your family(you are still single),  when asked '你家有几口人？', you would be expected to introduce your immediate family including your father, mother, sisters and brothers. Not counting aunts, uncles, and etc.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-20T06:19:21.100Z
2017-09-20T08:29:22.520Z
2017-09-20T08:29:22.520Z
dan
<ol>
<li>你家有几口人[nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén ]
How many people are there in your family?
4个，分别是爸爸、妈妈、弟弟和我。
There are four people in my family. my father, my mother, my younger brother and me.</li>
<li>So“你家有几口人” it includes you and your family.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-30T03:20:38.877Z
How many people are in your **household** 不是 How many people are there in your **family**?  in your family 是典型中式英语
Qiulang 邱朗
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-20T04:34:37.143Z
2017-09-20T04:34:37.143Z
Julia Collier
<p>It is simple-- The "家" in  "你家有几口人？" always refers to "家庭" (household) </p>

<p>Your answer should only list the family members living in the household .</p>

<p>Using 口 as a classifier also indicates it only count people who eat their meals in the household.</p>

<p>As long as someone living in a household long term, he or she is counted as 一口</p>

<p>If you read Chinese novel, you would often see phrase like "我家一百一十八口性命" (One hundred and eighteen lives in my household) You can see they even counted servants.</p>

<p><em>If the question was "你家中有什麼人?" (who are in your family)  Then you can include your immediate family who no longer live in the household, for example, married sister or brother who had moved out.</em> </p>

<p><em>If you are single and live alone, you are considered independent. When people ask you "你家有几口人？" You can say "我單身一人生活".  If you want to introduce your family, then you can say "我家中還有 (list of immediate family) "</em> </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-06T06:20:25.587Z
interesting, sometimes on English we refer to people as "mouths". Such as, "At home I have to many mouths to feed"
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-20T04:40:35.690Z
2017-09-20T06:36:59.257Z
2017-09-20T06:36:59.257Z
Tang Ho
<p>An early question in Chinese people learn is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你家有几口人？<br>
How many people are there in your family?<br>
<sub>(nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒurén)</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>My Chinese text book contains these example responses:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>五口人。他们是我爸爸，我哥哥，我弟弟和我。你呢？<br>(Five people. They are my father, mother, older brother, younger brother, and me.  And you?)<br>
我家有三口人：我丈夫，我儿子和我。<br>(My family has three people.  My husband, my son, and me.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你家有三口人，你爱人，你儿子和你，是吗？<br>
(Your family has three people, your spouse, your son, and you, right?)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But I'm confused...</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Who should be counted when responding to 你家有几口人?</p>
<p>I'm confused in particular about the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I'm unsure if aunties, cousins, brothers-in-law, nieces, ex-husbands, half-sisters, etc., are included.</p>
</li>
<li><p>I don't know if living separately affects things (since <a href="http://dict.cn/%E5%AE%B6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">家</a> also means home).</p>
<p>When I go home <a href="http://dict.cn/%E5%9B%9E%E5%AE%B6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">回家</a> (huíjiā) it's just me, but my sisters (<a href="http://dict.cn/%E5%A7%90%E5%A7%90" rel="nofollow noreferrer">姐姐</a> and <a href="http://dict.cn/%E5%A6%B9%E5%A6%B9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">妹妹</a>) are still my family members <a href="http://dict.cn/%E5%AE%B6%E4%BA%BA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">家人</a> (jiārén).  Both of these use &quot;家&quot;.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-20T04:39:23.677Z
bkrs：家（家庭; 人家） family; household:home；你家有几口人？ usually refers to the number of people living (eating) together at your home， ( 口人 eater，mouth)
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-21T01:41:34.310Z
relatives not live in same home are excluded, we only count people live in single home.
Daniel Yang
<meaning><meaning-in-context><culture>
Who should be counted when responding to 你家有几口人 (nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒurén) "how many people are there in your family"?
# Who should be counted when responding to 你家有几口人 (nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒurén) "how many people are there in your family"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-20)

An early question in Chinese people learn is:

> 你家有几口人？  
> How many people are there in your family?  
> (nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒurén)

My Chinese text book contains these example responses:

> 五口人。他们是我爸爸，我哥哥，我弟弟和我。你呢？  
> (Five people. They are my father, mother, older brother, younger brother, and me. And you?)  
> 我家有三口人：我丈夫，我儿子和我。  
> (My family has three people. My husband, my son, and me.)

and

> 你家有三口人，你爱人，你儿子和你，是吗？  
> (Your family has three people, your spouse, your son, and you, right?)

But I'm confused...

**Question**: Who should be counted when responding to 你家有几口人?

I'm confused in particular about the following:

1. I'm unsure if aunties, cousins, brothers-in-law, nieces, ex-husbands, half-sisters, etc., are included.
2. I don't know if living separately affects things (since [家](http://dict.cn/%E5%AE%B6) also means home).

   When I go home [回家](http://dict.cn/%E5%9B%9E%E5%AE%B6) (huíjiā) it's just me, but my sisters ([姐姐](http://dict.cn/%E5%A7%90%E5%A7%90) and [妹妹](http://dict.cn/%E5%A6%B9%E5%A6%B9)) are still my family members [家人](http://dict.cn/%E5%AE%B6%E4%BA%BA) (jiārén). Both of these use "家".

**Tags:** meaning, meaning-in-context, culture

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: bkrs：家（家庭; 人家） family; household:home；你家有几口人？ usually refers to the number of people living (eating) together at your home， ( 口人 eater，mouth)  
> **username_2**: relatives not live in same home are excluded, we only count people live in single home.  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2017-09-20. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

It is simple-- The "家" in "你家有几口人？" always refers to "家庭" (household)

Your answer should only list the family members living in the household .

Using 口 as a classifier also indicates it only count people who eat their meals in the household.

As long as someone living in a household long term, he or she is counted as 一口

If you read Chinese novel, you would often see phrase like "我家一百一十八口性命" (One hundred and eighteen lives in my household) You can see they even counted servants.

*If the question was "你家中有什麼人?" (who are in your family) Then you can include your immediate family who no longer live in the household, for example, married sister or brother who had moved out.*

*If you are single and live alone, you are considered independent. When people ask you "你家有几口人？" You can say "我單身一人生活". If you want to introduce your family, then you can say "我家中還有 (list of immediate family) "*

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: interesting, sometimes on English we refer to people as "mouths". Such as, "At home I have to many mouths to feed"  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2017-09-28. Score: 1

It's just asking how many people are living with you(yourself included).


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### Answer by username_4 on 2017-09-20. Score: 1

In theory, '你家有几口人？' means '你家 ***住*** 有几口人？'. Everybody lives in the same house.

In practice, if you are single, you might want to add your siblings though they might have their own families.

If you live separately from your family(you are still single), when asked '你家有几口人？', you would be expected to introduce your immediate family including your father, mother, sisters and brothers. Not counting aunts, uncles, and etc.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2017-09-20. Score: -1

1. 你家有几口人[nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén ]
   How many people are there in your family?
   4个，分别是爸爸、妈妈、弟弟和我。
   There are four people in my family. my father, my mother, my younger brother and me.
2. So“你家有几口人” it includes you and your family.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: How many people are in your **household** 不是 How many people are there in your **family**?  in your family 是典型中式英语  

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