The word 家族 is formed by combining two characters, each representing a fundamental concept of kinship, to create a new, composite idea. The first character, 家 (jiā), primarily means "family" or "household", referring to the immediate, core domestic unit. The second, 族 (zú), carries the meaning of "clan", "tribe", or a larger group united by lineage. By placing them together, the formation visually and conceptually extends the scope from the intimate family (家) outward to encompass the broader, interlinked kinship network of the clan (族), thus representing the extended family or lineage as a single, integrated social entity.