宅

Tap the pinyin to hear it

residence; (coll.) to stay in at home; to hang around at home

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

宀 meaning “roof” + 乇 sound ( zhé )

Components 宀乇

dwelling · Heisig RSH #1425

house + fur ball

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
住宅区	zhù zhái qū	residential area; housing development
宅度假	zhái dù jià	staycation; residential vacation
宅子	zhái zi	house; residence
家宅	jiā zhái	home; residence; house
阿宅	ā zhái	homebody; geek; nerd; otaku
民宅	mín zhái	private residence; civilian dwelling
宅经	Zhái jīng	The Yellow Emperor's Classic on the Feng Shui of Dwellings
死宅	sǐ zhái	die-hard otaku (sb who hardly ever emerges from their home, where they play games, watch m…
宅女	zhái nǚ	female geek; female nerd; otaku girl
浮家泛宅	fú jiā fàn zhái	lit. to live on a boat; to drift from place to place (idiom)
古宅	gǔ zhái	former residence
住宅楼	zhù zhái lóu	residential building; CL:幢[zhuang4],座[zuo4],棟\|栋[dong4]
宅院	zhái yuàn	house; house with a courtyard
居宅	jū zhái	dwelling
阴宅	yīn zhái	(feng shui term) tomb
宅男	zhái nán	a guy who stays at home all the time, typically spending a lot of time playing online game…
旧宅	jiù zhái	former residence
住宅	zhù zhái	residence; dwelling; abode
御宅族	yù zhái zú	otaku, a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests such as anime, manga, and video…
故宅	gù zhái	former home

Characters sharing the sound component 乇 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
乇 sound part	zhé	to depend on, to entrust with
吒	zhā	to scold; to shout, to roar, to bellow