家
いえ · ie · JLPT N5 · noun
house
🏠 家 = roof 宀 + pig 豕: a pig under a roof makes a home
Etymology: the top part 宀 means roof, the bottom 豕 means pig. In ancient China a household kept its pigs under the same roof, so roof + pig came to mean home. Sound hook: ie is said like E-A — Enter Abode.
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').