race, nationality, ethnicity

JLPT N1 11 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Meaning and Usage

The character (zú) primarily refers to a group of people connected by common ancestry, ethnicity, or family ties. It is commonly used to denote ethnic groups (民族), families or clans (家族), and sometimes broader social groups.

Common Collocations

  • (Hànzú): Han ethnic group, the largest ethnic group in China.
  • 家族 (jiāzú): family or clan, often used to talk about relatives or household members.
  • 少数民族 (shǎoshù mínzú): ethnic minorities, referring to smaller ethnic groups within a country.

Usage Notes

is often combined with other characters to specify the type of group. When used alone, it usually implies ethnicity or clan. It is a formal term and appears frequently in academic, demographic, and cultural contexts. Avoid confusing with (family) alone, as emphasizes the collective group or lineage rather than just immediate family.

Register and Tone

The word is neutral and formal, suitable for written and spoken language when discussing ethnic groups, families, or clans. It is not used for casual references to friends or unrelated groups.

Example Sentences

The Han ethnic group is the largest nationality in China.

This family has many members.

He belongs to one of the ethnic minorities.