公家

Chinese

		just; honourable; public just; honourable; public; common; fair; duke; mister	home; family; ‑ist home; family; ‑ist; ‑er; ‑ian; measure word for stores and schools
trad. (公家)		公	家
simp. #(公家)		公	家
anagram		家公

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōngjiā

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ㄐㄧㄚ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ gaa¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kong-ka / kong-kee

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gong¹ gê¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōngjiā → gōngjia (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ㄐㄧㄚ → ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄐㄧㄚ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gongjiå
    • Wade–Giles: kung¹-chia⁵
    • Yale: gūng-jya
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gong.jia
    • Palladius: гунцзя (gunczja)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵/ → /kʊŋ⁵⁵ d͡ʑ̥i̯ä²/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gung¹ gaa¹
    • Yale: gūng gā
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gung¹ gaa¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gung¹ ga¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ kaː⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kong-ka
    • Tâi-lô: kong-ka
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kongkaf
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ka⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² ka⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kɔŋ³³ ka³³/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kong-kee
    • Tâi-lô: kong-kee
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kɛ⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gong¹ gê¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kong ke
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /koŋ³³⁻²³ ke³³/

Adjective

公家

1. public

Antonyms

• 私家 (sījiā), 私人 (sīrén)

Noun

公家

1. the state
2. the public
3. imperial family
4. royal court; imperial court; imperial household; imperial government

Synonyms

• (royal court):

• 上國／上国 (shàngguó) (as termed by vassal states)
• 世 (shì) (literary, or in compounds)
• 中國／中国 (zhōngguó) (archaic)
• 公庭 (gōngtíng)
• 國家／国家 (guójiā) (Classical Chinese)
• 朝廷 (cháotíng)
• 王室 (wángshì)
• 王家 (wángjiā)
• 王朝 (wángcháo)
• 皇室 (huángshì)
• 皇朝 (huángcháo)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (公家):

• → Japanese: 公家(くげ) (kuge); 公家(こうか) (kōka)

Pronunciation 2

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kong-ke / kong-kee

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• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kong-ke
    • Tâi-lô: kong-ke
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kongkef
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² ke⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ke⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kong-kee
    • Tâi-lô: kong-kee
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kɛ⁴⁴/

Verb

公家

1. (Xiamen and Zhangzhou Hokkien) to work together; to operate jointly

Adverb

公家

1. (Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) jointly; together

   公家出  ―  kongke chhut  ―  (everyone) pay together

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
公	家
く Grade: 2	け > げ Grade: 2
goon

Alternative spelling
公卿

/kuᵑ ke/ → /kuɡe/

From Middle Chinese 公家 (MC kuwng kae).

The 呉音 (goon, literally “Wu sound”) reading, so likely the earlier borrowing from Middle Chinese. Compare modern Mandarin 公家 (gōngjiā, “the state, the public”).

The meaning in Japanese developed from “great house, great family” to then signify “the imperial family”, then by extension the courtiers, and again the nobility.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) くげ [kùgé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝɡe̞]

Noun

公(く)家(げ) • (kuge) 

1. the imperial court

   Synonym: 朝廷 (chōtei)

2. the emperor and courtiers
3. the nobility in general

   Synonyms: 公 (ōyake), 官家 (kanke)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 公(く)家(げ)悪(あく) (kugeaku)
• 公(く)家(げ)荒(あ)れ (kugeare)
• 公(く)家(げ)華(か)族(ぞく) (kuge kazoku)
• 公(く)家(げ)方(がた) (kugegata)
• 公(く)家(げ)故(こ)実(じつ) (kuge kojitsu)
• 公(く)家(げ)詞(ことば) (kugekotoba)
• 公(く)家(げ)侍(ざむらい) (kugezamurai)
• 公(く)家(げ)衆(しゅう) (kugeshū)
• 公(く)家(げ)被(ひ)官(かん) (kuge hikan)
• 公(く)家(げ)屋(や)敷(しき) (kuge yashiki)
• 公(く)家(げ)読(よ)み (kugeyomi)
• 青(あお)公(く)家(げ) (aokuge)
• 糟(かす)公(く)家(げ) (kasukuge)
• 禁(きん)中(ちゅう)並(ならびに)公(く)家(げ)諸(しょ)法(はっ)度(と) (kinchū narabi ni kuge shohatto)
• 相馬(そうま)公(く)家(げ) (Sōma kuge)
• 鍋(なべ)取(と)り公(く)家(げ) (nabetori kuge)
• 生(なま)公(く)家(げ) (namakuge)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
公	家
こう Grade: 2	か Grade: 2
kan’on

From Middle Chinese 公家 (MC kuwng kae). The 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) reading, so likely a later borrowing from Middle Chinese.

Rarely used.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こ​ーか [kóꜜòkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːka̠]

Noun

公(こう)家(か) • (kōka) 

1. (rare) the imperial court
2. (rare) the emperor and courtiers

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
公	家
こう Grade: 2	け Grade: 2
kan’on	goon

Mixed reading, using the 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) for 公 and the 呉音 (goon, literally “Wu sound”) for 家.

Rarely used.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こ​ーけ [kóꜜòkè] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːke̞]

Noun

公(こう)家(け) • (kōke) 

1. (rare) the imperial court
2. (rare) the emperor and courtiers