Meaning
户 originally meant 'door' or 'single-leaf door' in ancient Chinese. Over time, it evolved to mean 'household' or 'family' because a door represents the entrance to a home. Today it's commonly used in administrative contexts to refer to households, accounts, or registered units.
Usage
In modern usage, 户 frequently appears in compound words related to households (户口 'household registration'), banking (账户 'account'), and population statistics (住户 'resident household'). It's also used as a measure word for families or households. The traditional form 戶 is still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Examples
- 01这个小区有五百户人家。.This residential community has 500 households.
- 02我需要去银行开一个新账户。.I need to go to the bank to open a new account.
Measure words
- 户三户人家
Common collocations
- 户口household registration
- 账户account (banking)
- 用户user, subscriber
- 开户to open an account
Origin
The character 户 depicts a single-leaf door in oracle bone script. The pictograph shows one panel of a door, distinguishing it from 门 (two-panel gate). The association with 'household' comes from the door being the symbol of a family unit.