Meaning
住宅 refers to a place where people live, encompassing houses, apartments, and other residential buildings. It is a formal term commonly used in official contexts, real estate, urban planning, and written Chinese to denote residential property or living quarters.
Usage
This is a somewhat formal term often found in news, official documents, and real estate contexts. In casual conversation, people more often say 房子 (fángzi) for 'house' or use specific terms like 公寓 (gōngyù) for 'apartment'. 住宅 frequently appears in compounds related to housing policy, residential areas, and property types.
Examples
- 01这个住宅区的环境很好，很适合家庭居住。, .This residential area has a very good environment and is very suitable for families to live in.
- 02政府计划在郊区建设更多经济适用住宅。.The government plans to build more affordable housing in the suburbs.
Characters
Measure words
- 套一套住宅
- 栋一栋住宅
Common collocations
- 住宅区residential area/district
- 住宅楼residential building
- 商品住宅commercial housing
- 住宅小区residential community/complex
Origin
Both characters relate to dwelling: 住 originally depicted a person standing by a pillar (suggesting staying in place), while 宅 combines the roof radical 宀 with 乇 (a phonetic component), indicating a roofed dwelling place.