分家
ぶんけ
noun, suru verb
branch family; cadet family
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 分家する | 分家しない |
| Present polite | 分家します | 分家しません |
| Past | 分家した | 分家しなかった |
| Past polite | 分家しました | 分家しませんでした |
| て form | 分家して | 分家しなくて |
| ている present | 分家している | 分家していない |
| ている polite | 分家しています | 分家していません |
| ている past | 分家していた | 分家していなかった |
| ている past polite | 分家していました | 分家していませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 分家すれば | 分家しなければ |
| Conditional たら | 分家したら | 分家しなかったら |
| Volitional | 分家しよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 分家しましょう | — |
| Potential | 分家できる | 分家できない |
| Passive | 分家される | 分家されない |
| Causative | 分家させる | 分家させない |
| Imperative | 分家しろ | 分家するな |
1.
branch family; cadet family
A family that has separated from the main household to establish its own independent household. The opposite of the main family (honke).
うちは本家ではなく分家だ。
Our family is a branch family, not the main family.
分家の人たちも正月には本家に集まる。
People from the branch families also gather at the main house for New Year's.
2.
the act of establishing a branch family; branching off
The process of a family member leaving the main household to start a separate family line.
祖父の代に本家から分家した。
We branched off from the main family in my grandfather's generation.
次男が分家して新しい家を建てた。
The second son branched off and built a new house.
江戸時代には武家の分家にも厳しい規則があった。
In the Edo period, there were strict rules even for branching off from samurai families.
Composed of 分 (divide, separate) + 家 (house, family). Central to the traditional Japanese family system (家制度).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 分家する: to establish a branch family
- 本家と分家: main family and branch family
- 分家筋: branch family line
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 本家: main family, head family — the original household from which branch families separate
- 別家: separate household — similar meaning but less common
- 宗家: head family (of an artistic/martial arts school) — specifically the founding lineage of a traditional school
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
In the traditional Japanese family system, the eldest son typically inherited the main household (本家), while younger sons would 分家 and establish their own households. Though the legal 家制度 was abolished after World War II, the concepts of 本家 and 分家 remain culturally significant, especially in rural areas. The term is also used metaphorically for businesses or organizations that have split from a parent entity.