夹 meaning and stroke order
To press from either side; to place in between; to sandwich
How to write 夹, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 夹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to press from either side
- to place in between
- to sandwich
- to carry sth under armpit
- wedged between
- between
- double-layered (quilt); lined (garment)
- variant of 夾|夹[jia2]
- used in 夾肢窩|夹肢窝[ga1 zhi5 wo1]
How 夹 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 夫 stuck between two others 丷.
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 夹
The middle part looks like a person 夫 with two little dots 丷 pressing in from either side. Picture someone squeezed between two others on a crowded bus, and you have 夹 (jiā), to press from both sides or sandwich.
夹 (jiā) is a verb for gripping or squeezing something between two things, like picking up food with chopsticks. It also forms many nouns for things that clip or hold, such as 夹子 (jiāzi, clip) and 文件夹 (wénjiànjiā, folder). Example: 他用筷子夹菜。(Tā yòng kuàizi jiā cài.) He picks up food with chopsticks.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 夹 with 来 (lái, to come), which looks similar but has a vertical stroke through a horizontal frame and no 夫 shape. Also, in 夹克 (jacket) many speakers say jiākè, but you may hear jiákè, so do not be surprised by the second tone.
Common words with 夹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 夹克 | jiākè | (loanword) jacket; also pr. [jia2 ke4] | |
| 皮夹 | píjiā | wallet; Taiwan pr. [pi2 jia2] | |
| 文件夹 | wénjiànjiā | folder; file (paper) | |
| 夹子 | jiāzi | clip; clamp | |
| 弹夹 | dànjiā | ammunition clip; cartridge clip; magazine | |
| 发夹 | fàjiā | hair clip | |
| 夹击 | jiājī | pincer attack; attack from two or more sides | |
| 夹心 | jiāxīn | to fill with stuffing (e.g. in cooking); stuffed | |
| 夹层 | jiācéng | hollow layer between two solid layers; (architecture) mezzanine | |
| 夹紧 | jiājǐn | to clamp; to grip |
夹 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 夹
Learning 夹 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 夹
How many strokes are in 夹?
夹 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 夹 mean?
夹 (jiā) means to press from either side; to place in between; to sandwich. A common word with it is 夹克 (jiākè), meaning "(loanword) jacket; also pr. [jia2 ke4]".
How do you pronounce 夹?
夹 is pronounced jiā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 夹?
The radical of 夹 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 夹 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 夹?
The traditional form of 夹 is 夾 and 裌. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 夹 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 夹 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 夹 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Is 夹 always pronounced jiā?
Mostly yes. It is read jiá in the sense of double-layered or lined, as in a lined garment, and gā in the colloquial word 夹肢窝 (gāzhiwō, armpit).
How do I say I am caught between two sides in Chinese?
A common phrase is 夹在中间 (jiā zài zhōngjiān), meaning stuck in the middle. People use it for being squeezed physically or caught between two people in a conflict.