Household financial outcomes can be predicted by personality traits (Nyhus and Webley, 2001; Lubis et al., 2022). Using 18,028 household-level observations from the 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 waves of the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS), this study examines the impact of household financial respondents' (FRs) personality traits on household borrowing decisions, including whether to incur debt, the choice of borrowing channels, and debt management strategies (e.g., leverage ratio). The findings reveal that: (1) FRs' neuroticism increases the likelihood of households holding debt; (2) extraversion decreases borrowing from acquaintances (i.e., households with extraverted FRs are more inclined to obtain loans from banks), while neuroticism exerts the opposite effect; and (3) higher levels of extraversion and neuroticism among FRs increase household debt burdens, whereas conscientiousness reduces them. Furthermore, the analysis identifies moderating effects of FRs' attitudes, such as their trust in others and self-confidence, which shape the relationships between personality traits and borrowing outcomes. In addition, robustness checks are conducted. Policy implications are discussed.