家务
jiā wù · HSK 4
housework
🧹 家 (home) + 务 (affairs/duties) = household duties
家 means home or family; 务 means affairs, business, or duties. Together 家务 literally reads as home-affairs, the everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking, and laundry that keep a household running.
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').