栽 meaning and stroke order
To plant; to grow; to insert; to erect (e.g. a bus stop sign); to impose sth on sb
How to write 栽, stroke by stroke
10 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 栽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to plant; to grow
- to insert; to erect (e.g. a bus stop sign)
- to impose sth on sb
- to stumble; to fall down
How 栽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 戈 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 栽
栽 has a tree 木 (mù) tucked under the frame of 戈 (gē). Picture someone using a tool to dig a hole and set a young tree 木 into the ground.
栽 mostly means to plant, and it shows up in words like 栽培 (zāipéi, to cultivate) and 盆栽 (pénzāi, potted plant). In speech it can also mean to take a fall or suffer a setback, as in 栽跟头 (zāi gēntou). Example: 我在院子里栽了一棵树。(Wǒ zài yuànzi lǐ zāi le yī kē shù.) I planted a tree in the yard.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 栽 with 载 (zài/zǎi, to carry), 裁 (cái, to cut) and 哉 (zāi), which share the same 戈 frame. Remember that only 栽 has 木 inside, because planting involves a tree.
Common words with 栽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
栽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 栽
How many strokes are in 栽?
栽 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 栽 mean?
栽 (zāi) means to plant; to grow; to insert; to erect (e.g. a bus stop sign); to impose sth on sb. A common word with it is 栽培 (zāipéi), meaning "to grow; to cultivate".
How do you pronounce 栽?
栽 is pronounced zāi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 栽?
The radical of 栽 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 栽 under this radical.
Is 栽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 栽 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 栽 and 种 (zhòng)?
Both mean to plant. 种 is the everyday word and works for seeds, crops and trees. 栽 usually means planting seedlings or young trees and sounds a bit more specific or formal.
What does 栽赃 (zāizāng) mean?
栽赃 means to frame someone by planting stolen goods or evidence on them. It comes from the sense of 栽 as to insert or impose something on someone.