"Hogar" o "casa"

Question

Cuál es la diferencia entre "hogar" y "casa"?

Porqué decimos "hogar dulce hogar" y no "casa dulce casa"?

Answer 1

"La casa" by itself means "the house"

"En Casa" means "at home or back home"

"El hogar" literally means "the fireplace" and refers to "home" in the sense that it could even be in a cave. In English there is a saying: "Home is where the heart is." So it's really an emotional term that speaks lovingly of the place where you dwell. <3

I have written this in English because you list yourself as a "beginner" in Spanish.

Gracias! :) No hay problema que es en ingles.Entiendo en espanol. Pero si, es la verdad que aqui tengo un nivel "begginer". Muchas gracias :) - Agnes1984, Jan 27, 2016

An interesting bit on the origin of that phrase, Dani. The original saying, from the British Isles, was "Home is where the hearth is" as in, home is wherever you are. Eventually, it became "Home is where the heart is." I - Winkfish, Jan 28, 2016

It is even more interesting that "hearth" and "hogar" are cognates. They both mean fireplace. - Daniela2041, Jan 28, 2016

Yes. Certainly in the cold British Isles, almost every home had some kind of hearth. - Winkfish, Jan 28, 2016

Answer 2

I would just add to Dani´s answer that la casa is simply a structure / building, for example: we would never tell a realestate guy. Busco un hogar en venta.

And when we are home we would never say: Estoy en hogar.

Gracias! Si, claro siempre es "estoy en casa" ;) - Agnes1984, Jan 27, 2016

But in English we do say "I am at home". :) - ian-hill, Jan 28, 2016