By Samma Keetsin
Director of Sena Development Public Company Limited

In English, there are several words that generally convey the meaning of “home” or “residence”, such as House, Home, Residence, Dwelling Unit, etc.
The terms House and Home are two common words that most Thai people learn from elementary school, but do we really know that the words House and Home have deeper meanings that differ from each other?

The Learner’s Dictionary defines the difference as follows:
“House refers to a building in which someone lives. In contrast, a home can refer either to a building or to any location that a person thinks of as the place where he/she lives and that belongs to him/her. A home can be a house or an apartment, but it could also be a tent, a boat, or an underground cave.”

This can be interpreted as House refers to a structure where a person resides, while Home refers to a building or location that a person considers as the place where they live and which they own. Therefore, Home can be a House, an Apartment, a tent, a boat, or even an underground cave (for some tribes).

The Learner’s Dictionary also provides another explanation:
“The main difference between them is that house is concrete. A home can even be something abstract, a place in your mind. When you say, “Let’s go home,” you are probably not thinking simply about going to the physical structure where you live. You are talking about being in the special place where you feel most comfortable and that belongs to you.”

This means that House (in general terms) is concrete, while Home can be something abstract or a place in your thoughts. When we say, “Let’s go home,” we may not just be thinking about the physical structure we live in, but rather the special place where we feel most at ease and that we own.

Thus, Home encompasses more meaning and is more than just a House for everyone.

A House that is a House may be abandoned and uninhabited, but a Home is a place that binds the hearts of family or cohabitants together. Even a city, province, or country can be referred to as Home, which is why we often hear the phrase “My hometown” or “the place I come from.”

People who have lived abroad for a long time and return to their birthplace might say, “I am going back to my home country.” Or a Thai person from the South who has lived in Bangkok for a long time might think of “our Southern homeland,” which in English could be referred to as “My homeland in the South” or “My Southern homeland.”

There is another English phrase that people often say metaphorically: “There’s no place like home.” This emphasizes that there is no other place (where one feels happy) like home. Notice that in this case, the word used is Home, not House, because Home conveys warmth and comfort, while House is merely a structure.

Therefore, when using English words to convey the meaning of “home,” it is essential to understand the deeper meanings. The author has yet to hear any Thai linguists clearly differentiate between the words Home and House.

Having read this, let’s all go back to our separate homes (Go back to your separate home.) as we are currently facing a heavy COVID outbreak.