family · tribe

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 族 has 11 strokes; 家族 is read かぞく, and 親族 is read しんぞく.
• Basic usage: 家族 denotes family; 親族 denotes people connected as relatives.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Living arrangements and the range of relatives
  • 離れて暮らす家族 means family members who live apart. 家族 does not necessarily refer only to people living in one home.
  • 近しい親族だけ means only close relatives, with だけ restricting who was invited. Closeness is specified separately, so 親族 itself should not be narrowed to close family alone.