差
差 (chà) means “poor”. It is made of 羊 + 工 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word.
Break 差 into its parts
What 差 is made of
- 羊 yáng — sheep
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
- 工 gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄 shàng — above
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: Work 工 done by a sheep 羊; incompetence (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
他的汉语不差。Tā de Hànyǔ bù chà.His Chinese isn't bad.
现在差五分八点。Xiànzài chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn.It's five to eight now.
Also built with 羊
Quick facts
| Pinyin | chà |
|---|---|
| Meaning | poor; not good; to be short of |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 工 (work, #48) |
| Pattern | Top-left wrap |
| HSK | HSK 3.0 · Level 1 · HSK 2.0 · Level 3 |
Questions about 差
What does 差 mean?
差 (chà) means “poor; not good; to be short of”.
How many strokes does 差 have?
差 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 差?
The radical of 差 is 工 (gōng, “work”), Kangxi radical number 48.
What parts make up 差?
差 is made of 羊 (sheep) and 工 (labor).
Which HSK level is 差?
差 is in HSK 3.0 · Level 1 and HSK 2.0 · Level 3.
Learn 差 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 · Group 42: 10 words with quick checks and spaced repeats.