家 jiā — furniture; tool; -ist; -er; -ian; home
我家有四口人。Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén.There are four people in my family.
Common words: 大家 (dà jiā)、国家 (guó jiā)、回家 (huí jiā)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "tool"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "tool", including 家 (jiā), 具 (jù), 器 (qì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "tool" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 家 (jiā), 具 (jù), 器 (qì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiā, jù, qì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 家 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 家 jiāfurniture; tool; -ist; -er; -ian; homeUseful words: 大家, 国家
- 具 jùtool; device; utensil; equipment; instrumentUseful words: 具体, 具有
- 器 qìdevice; tool; utensilUseful words: 武器, 机器
Common words for these 3 "tool" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 家 (jiā) — so "tool" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
大家dà jiāeveryone; influential family; great expert国家guó jiācountry; nation; state回家huí jiāto return home具体jù tǐconcrete; specific; detailed具有jù yǒuto have; to possess工具gōng jùtool; instrument; utensil; means (to achieve a goal etc)武器wǔ qìweapon; arms机器jī qìmachine器官qì guān(physiology) organ; apparatus
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "tool".
具 jù — tool; device; utensil; equipment; instrument
这套家具很漂亮。Zhè tào jiā jù hěn piào liang.This set of furniture is very pretty.
Common words: 具体 (jù tǐ)、具有 (jù yǒu)、工具 (gōng jù)
器 qì — device; tool; utensil
他会弹好几种乐器。Tā huì tán hǎo jǐ zhǒng yuè qì.He can play several musical instruments.
Common words: 武器 (wǔ qì)、机器 (jī qì)、器官 (qì guān)
All 3 characters
Open 家、具、器 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.