Chinese word

卡

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǎ

Meaning

  • nouncard

Example

我的卡不见了。wǒ de kǎ bú jiàn le

My card is missing.

Illustration for 卡 (card)

More examples

我需要办一张新的卡。wǒ xū yào bàn yì zhāng xīn de kǎ

I need to get a new card.

Core concept

A gatekeeper for movement: it can allow entry as a card or stop movement when something is stuck.

Common phrases

  • 提款卡tí kuán kǎ

    cash card

  • 学生卡xué shēng kǎ

    student card

  • 电话卡diàn huà kǎ

    phone card

Similar words

卡片kǎ piàn: A small paper or plastic card for carrying a message or picture.
银行卡yín háng kǎ: A bank-issued card used to pay for purchases or withdraw cash from an ATM.
身份证shēn fèn zhèng: An official card issued by the government to prove a person's identity.
名片míng piàn: A small paper card with a person's name, company, and contact details for work.

Definition in Chinese

常作动词，表示物体、设备或运行因阻塞、嵌入或资源不足而不能正常移动或工作（如卡住、卡顿）；也可作名词，为银行卡、公交卡等卡片的简称。cháng zuò dòng cí biǎo shì wù tǐ shè bèi huò yùn xíng yīn zǔ sè qiàn rù huò zī yuán bù zú ér bù néng zhèng cháng yí dòng huò gōng zuò rú kǎ zhù kǎ dùn yě kě zuò míng cí wèi yín háng kǎ gōng jiāo kǎ děng kǎ piàn de jiǎn chēng

Word origin

The modern uses of 卡 (kǎ, "card; get stuck") follow two paths: 卡片 (kǎpiàn, "card") comes from English card, while 卡住 (kǎzhù, "get stuck") builds on the character's sense of blocked movement.

Usage tips

  • A game, app, or machine can be described as having stopped responding, so this word is not limited to a physical object carried in a wallet.

Other meanings

  • get caughtverb
  • jamverb

Related words

Word lists with this word