察 meaning and stroke order
To examine, to investigate, to observe
How to write 察, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 察
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to examine
- to inquire
- to observe
- to inspect
- to look into
- obvious
How 察 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof.
宀 gives the meaning and 祭 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 察
察 is a pictophonetic character: the roof 宀 on top gives the meaning idea, and 祭 (jì) below gives the sound. Picture someone stepping under a roof to look carefully around the house, examining every corner.
察 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in two-character words like 观察 (guānchá), 考察 (kǎochá) and 警察 (jǐngchá). Example: 他在门口等警察。(Tā zài ménkǒu děng jǐngchá.) He is waiting for the police at the door.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 察 with 祭 (jì, to offer sacrifice) because 察 contains all of 祭. If you see the roof 宀 on top, it is 察. Also note that 察 is second tone (chá), unlike 查 (chá) which sounds the same but is a different character.
Common words with 察
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 警察 | jǐngchá | police; police officer | HSK 3 |
| 观察 | guānchá | to observe; to watch; to survey | HSK 3 |
| 考察 | kǎochá | to inspect; to observe and study | HSK 4 |
| 察觉 | chájué | to sense; to perceive | HSK 7-9 |
| 侦察 | zhēnchá | to investigate a crime; to scout | HSK 7-9 |
| 监察 | jiānchá | to supervise; to control | HSK 7-9 |
| 视察 | shìchá | to inspect; an investigation | HSK 7-9 |
| 检察 | jiǎnchá | to inspect; (law) to prosecute | HSK 7-9 |
| 察看 | chákàn | to watch; to look carefully at | HSK 7-9 |
| 检察官 | jiǎncháguān | public prosecutor; public procurator (judicial officer whose job may involve both criminal | |
| 警察局 | jǐngchájú | police station; police department | |
| 督察 | dūchá | to supervise; to superintend | |
| 秘密警察 | mìmìjǐngchá | secret police | |
| 洞察力 | dòngchálì | insight |
察 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 察
Learning 察 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 察
How many strokes are in 察?
察 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 察 mean?
察 (chá) means to examine, to investigate, to observe. A common word with it is 警察 (jǐngchá), meaning "police; police officer".
How do you pronounce 察?
察 is pronounced chá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 察?
The radical of 察 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 察 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 察?
The traditional form of 察 is 詧. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 察 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 察 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 察 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 察 and 查, since both are pronounced chá?
查 (chá) is the everyday word for checking or looking something up, as in 查字典 (chá zìdiǎn, look up in a dictionary). 察 leans toward careful observing or perceiving and mostly appears in set words like 观察 and 察觉. Both appear in some similar words, such as 检查 (jiǎnchá, to check) and 检察 (jiǎnchá, to prosecute), which differ in meaning.
Is the chá in 警察 (jǐngchá) said with a full second tone?
In everyday speech the second syllable of 警察 is often said lightly, so you may hear jǐngcha. Dictionaries list it as jǐngchá, and either is understood.