Chinese word

杀

Pronunciation

Pinyinshā

Meaning

  • verbkill

Example

他想杀那只蚊子。tā xiǎng shā nà zhǐ wén zi

He wants to kill that mosquito.

Illustration for 杀 (kill)

More examples

消毒液可以把细菌杀死。xiāo dú yè ké yǐ bǎ xì jūn shā sǐ

Disinfectant can kill bacteria.

Core concept

A decisive act of ending life or clearing away a target, with the same forceful idea linking its literal and extended uses.

Common phrases

  • 杀掉shā diào

    kill

  • 杀菌shā jūn

    sterilize

  • 杀死shā sǐ

    kill

Similar words

谋杀móu shā: To kill a person in a planned act.
杀害shā hài: To kill a person by force or another improper means.
打死dá sǐ: To kill someone through beating or other blows.
杀死shā sǐ: To kill a person or animal, with the result that the target dies.

Definition in Chinese

用行动或手段使人或动物失去生命，通常指导致死亡的行为。yòng xíng dòng huò shǒu duàn shǐ rén huò dòng wù shī qù shēng mìng tōng cháng zhǐ dǎo zhì sǐ wáng de xíng wéi

Word origin

The modern character 杀 (shā, "to kill") was formed by simplifying 殺 (shā, "to kill"), preserving the inherited meaning while reducing the written form.

Usage tips

  • In games and online discussions, the verb can describe eliminating an opponent, but outside those settings a human object normally makes the statement serious.

Other meanings

  • murderverb
  • get rid ofverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 杀菌shā jūnsterilizeverb
  • 杀菌剂shā jūn jìgermicidenoun

Word lists with this word