Chinese word

叉

Pronunciation

Pinyinchā

Meaning

  • nouncross

Example

老师在答案上打了个叉。lǎo shī zài dá àn shàng dǎ le gè chā

The teacher put a cross on the answer.

Illustration for 叉 (cross)

More examples

桌子上放着一把叉。zhuō zi shàng fàng zhe yì bǎ chā

There is a fork on the table.

Core concept

A branching shape reaches outward from one center, forming a tool, a split route, or a mark of rejection.

Common phrases

  • 打叉dǎ chā

    mark with a cross

  • 给错题打叉gěi cuò tí dǎ chā

    mark wrong questions with a cross

  • 一把叉yì bǎ chā

    a fork

Similar words

叉子chā zi: A food utensil with two or more pointed prongs for picking things up.
记号jì hào: A simple mark used to show information or indicate a condition.
标记biāo jì: A visible mark placed on an object or text for identification.
符号fú hào: A sign that stands for a meaning, quantity, or sound.

Definition in Chinese

指有两支或多支分岔尖端的器具（如餐叉），也可指表示否定或错误的交叉符号，或指物体或道路的分岔处。zhǐ yǒu liǎng zhī huò duō zhī fēn chà jiān duān de qì jù rú cān chā yě kě zhǐ biǎo shì fǒu dìng huò cuò wù de jiāo chā fú hào huò zhǐ wù tǐ huò dào lù de fēn chà chù

Word origin

叉 (chā, "fork") is an ancient pictorial form of a hand with separated fingers, whose shared base and diverging points explain its later uses for forked objects and divisions.

Usage tips

  • In careful writing, the character for a road junction may differ from this one even when both ideas involve a split, so road signs and place names require attention to the written form.

Other meanings

  • forknoun
  • branchverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word