家柄|いえがらiegara[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounsocial standing of a family; lineage; parentage; pedigree
   彼かれは金持かねもちで、その上うえ家柄いえがらがよい。↗

   He is rich and, moreover, well-born.
2. noungood family

• Synonym家筋いえすじWrittenThe bloodline a family has passed down over generations. It speaks of lineage itself, without the ranking of families or social standing that 「家柄」 implies.
• Synonym門地もんちWrittenMuch like 「家柄」, it means family standing or birth, but it now appears mostly in legal texts, as in the constitution's 「門地による差別」; rarely heard in speech.
• Synonym門閥もんばつWrittenPrestigious families and the power they wield, with overtones of privilege and exclusivity. It stresses influence more than 「家柄」 and is rare even in writing.
• Related素性すじょうNeutralA person's origins and background, and also their true identity or past, as in 「素性を隠す」. 「家柄」 covers only family standing, not these personal details.
• Related血統けっとうNeutralBlood inherited from one's ancestors; also the standard word for the pedigree of famous horses and dogs. It is about blood alone, with no sense of family rank.
• Related血筋ちすじNeutralThe tie of blood between relatives, as in 「芸術家の血筋」. It centers on heredity and kinship and, unlike 「家柄」, says nothing about a family's standing.
• Related毛並みけなみCasualLiterally an animal's coat or breeding, used figuratively of a person's background, as in 「毛並みがいい」. More casual than 「家柄」 and mostly heard in speech.
• Related生まれうまれNeutralBirth or birthplace, with the widest range of uses. 「生まれがいい」 can praise someone's background too, but it does not point specifically to family standing.
• Related家系かけいNeutralThe line of a family handed down through generations, as in 「医者の家系」. It is about genealogical succession and carries no judgment of rank or standing.
• Related系譜けいふWrittenA genealogy: the record or chart of a bloodline, and by extension lines of descent in scholarship or the arts. It concerns records and origins, not status.
• Related出自しゅつじWrittenWhere a person or thing comes from; written and academic in flavor, as in 「出自を明らかにする」. It does not carry the sense of family rank found in 「家柄」.
• RelatedルーツNeutralA loanword for one's roots or ancestors, common in everyday speech and often used when tracing origins; it can also cover the origins of things, never status.
• Related氏素性うじすじょうWrittenA person's family background, often in negatives such as 「氏素性も知れない」. It weighs whether one's origins are known rather than how good the family is.
• Related世系せいけいWrittenA bloodline or genealogy handed down through the generations, but rare even in writing; in everyday speech use 「血筋」 or 「家系」. No social-status nuance.

Use 「家柄」 for a family's standing or quality, as in 「家柄がいい」. For bloodline alone pick 「血筋」 or 「血統」; for origins and background 「素性」 or 「出自」; for a family tree 「系譜」. 「家筋」「家系」「世系」 also name the family line without judging rank; 「門地」 survives in legal texts, 「門閥」 stresses power, 「毛並み」 is casual speech, 「生まれ」 the broadest, 「氏素性」 often in negatives, 「ルーツ」 means roots.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 昔むかしから続つづく家いえの格式かくしき。
2. 格かくの高たかい家いえ。名家めいか。