祖籍 zǔjí ancestral hometown
ancestral hometown; original domicile (and civil registration)
How to remember 祖籍: 祖 ancestor + 籍 register = ancestral hometown.
Characters
How it is used
- One's ancestral hometown / place of family origin - 他祖籍山东，但生在北京 (tā zǔjí Shāndōng, dàn shēng zài Běijīng) his ancestral home is Shandong, but he was born in Beijing.
- Distinct from 出生地 (birthplace) and 老家 (hometown): 祖籍 is where the family lineage traces back, often differing from where one actually lives.