häuslich

Häuslich is a German adjective meaning related to the house or to the home. It denotes matters, activities, or life within the private domestic sphere rather than public or professional life. Common uses describe household tasks and settings, for example häusliche Arbeiten (household chores) or häusliche Umgebung (home environment). The term can also refer to private life more generally, as in häusliche Angelegenheiten (domestic matters) or häusliches Leben (domestic life). In legal and sociological contexts, häuslich is often contrasted with öffentlich or staatlich to emphasize the private, family, or household domain. A well-known collocation is häusliche Gewalt (domestic violence), which is widely used in law, media, and public discourse.

Etymology: häuslich originates from Haus, the German word for house, with the suffix -lich forming an adjective meaning possessing the characteristics of. The related noun Häuslichkeit denotes domesticity, homeliness, or the private nature of home life.

Usage notes: Häuslich is comparatively neutral and formal; in everyday speech speakers may use synonyms like privat or zu Hause to convey related ideas. It is typically used attributively (“häusliche Aufgaben”) or in fixed phrases (“häusliche Gewalt,” “häusliche Angelegenheiten”). The term should not be confused with heimisch, which means native or local, or with gemütlich, which conveys coziness.