峡 meaning and stroke order
Gorge, ravine, strait; isthmus
How to write 峡, stroke by stroke
9 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 峡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gorge
How 峡 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The space between 夹 two mountains 山; 夹 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 山 (mountain), shared by 111 characters on this site.
How to remember 峡
峡 puts 山 (shān, mountain) next to 夹 (jiā, to squeeze between). Picture a narrow passage squeezed between two mountains, and you have a gorge.
峡 almost always appears in compounds rather than alone. The two you will meet most are 峡谷 (xiágǔ, canyon) and 海峡 (hǎixiá, strait). Example: 台湾海峡很宽。(Táiwān Hǎixiá hěn kuān.) The Taiwan Strait is very wide.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 峡 (xiá) with 狭 (xiá, narrow) because they sound the same and share 夹. Remember that 峡 has the mountain radical 山 for landforms, while 狭 has the animal radical 犭 and is the adjective in words like 狭窄 (xiázhǎi, narrow).
Common words with 峡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
峡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 峡
How many strokes are in 峡?
峡 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 峡 mean?
峡 (xiá) means gorge, ravine, strait; isthmus. A common word with it is 峡谷 (xiágǔ), meaning "canyon; gill".
How do you pronounce 峡?
峡 is pronounced xiá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 峡?
The radical of 峡 is 山, which carries the idea of "mountain". Dictionaries list 峡 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 峡?
The traditional form of 峡 is 峽. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 峡 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 峡 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 峡 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 峡 pronounced xiá when 夹 is usually jiā?
夹 gives a sound hint, but it is not an exact match. Several characters built with 夹 are read xiá, such as 峡, 狭 and 侠 (xiá, chivalrous hero), so the xiá reading is a useful pattern to know.
What is 三峡 (Sānxiá)?
三峡 means the Three Gorges, a famous stretch of the Yangtze River in China. It is also known for the 三峡大坝 (Sānxiá Dàbà), the Three Gorges Dam.