Suffix 家 and its formula

Chinese suffixes are very productive to make new words. If it were not for them, we would have to learn many new characters. The suffix 家 is one of them.

When 家 is used after a noun of profession, the word turns into a new noun, which means a specialist in a certain field.

Formula of the suffix 家

a profession/industry/field + suffix 家 = a specialist or expert in this profession/industry/field.

艺术 art + 家 = 艺术家 artist

舞蹈 dance + 家 = 舞蹈家 dancer

钢琴 piano + 家 = 钢琴家 pianist

书法 calligraphy + 家 = 书法家 calligrapher

语言学 linguistics + 家 = 语言学家 linguist

历史学 history + 家 = 历史学家 historian

汉学 sinology + 家 = 汉学家 sinologist

只要你好好学习汉语，你一定会成为一名汉学家的。