Chinese word

刷子

Pronunciation

Pinyinshuā zi

Meaning

  • nounbrush

Example

她把刷子放在桌子上。tā bǎ shuā zi fàng zài zhuō zi shàng

She put the brush on the table.

Illustration for 刷子 (brush)

More examples

他去市场买刷子。tā qù shì chǎng mǎi shuā zi

He went to the market to buy a brush.

Core concept

A tool with bristles or fibers that moves across a surface to clean, coat, or smooth it.

Common phrases

  • 买刷子mǎi shuā zi

    buy a brush

  • 新的刷子xīn de shuā zi

    new brush

Similar words

牙刷yá shuā: A small tool with bristles for cleaning the teeth.
梳子shū zi: A narrow tool with teeth for untangling and arranging hair.
扫把sào bǎ: A long-handled tool for sweeping dirt from floors or the ground.
拖把tuō bǎ: A tool moistened with water to wipe dirt from floors.

Definition in Chinese

指用于刷洗、刷漆或梳理表面的器具，形状和用途多样，统称为刷子。zhǐ yòng yú shuā xǐ shuā qī huò shū lǐ biǎo miàn de qì jù xíng zhuàng hé yòng tú duō yàng tǒng chēng wèi shuā zi

Word origin

The word combines 刷 (shuā, "brush or scrub") with 子 (zi, "noun-forming suffix"), turning the action of brushing into the name of the tool used to do it.

Usage tips

  • English often names a brush by its job, such as painting or scrubbing, whereas Chinese commonly keeps one broad everyday noun and adds the use when needed.

Other meanings

  • paintbrushnoun
  • scrub brushnoun

Word lists with this word