回家
huíjiā · HSK 1
return home
🏠 回 = return + 家 = home; 回家 = return home
回 depicts a square within a square — a swirl returning to its center, hence 'return'. 家 is 宀 (roof) over 豕 (pig): a roof with livestock underneath, the old sign for a household.
回 — enclosure 囗 + smaller 囗 inside
回 is a pictograph of a swirling whirlpool or coiled spiral, shown as nested squares in modern form. The original meaning was 'to revolve' or 'turn around,' which extended to 'return' and 'a time/occurrence.' It also appears as a phonetic in characters like 茴 and 廻.
家 — roof 宀 + pig 豕
Originally a pictograph of a pig under a roof, since domesticated pigs were kept in or under the home in ancient China. Over time the meaning broadened from 'household' to 'family,' and by extension 'home' or a specialist (as in 专家, 'expert').