渣 meaning and stroke order
Dregs, sediment; refuse, slag
How to write 渣, stroke by stroke
12 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 渣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- slag (in mining or smelting)
- dregs
How 渣 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 查 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 渣
渣 combines the water radical 氵 with 查 (chá), which gives the sound. Picture the water you pour out of a teapot, and the soggy leftover bits at the bottom are the dregs.
渣 describes leftover bits after something useful is removed, such as tea leaves, food crumbs, or slag from smelting. It also shows up in insults like 人渣 (rénzhā) and in modern slang like 渣男 (zhānán), a man who treats partners badly. Example: 杯子里有茶渣。(Bēizi lǐ yǒu chá zhā.) There are tea dregs in the cup.
Common mistake: Learners often read 渣 as chá because of its phonetic part 查, but 渣 is pronounced zhā in the first tone. Also keep it apart from 楂 (zhā, as in 山楂 shānzhā, hawthorn), which has the wood radical 木 instead of water.
Common words with 渣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 渣子 | zhāzi | dregs; bits | HSK 7-9 |
| 人渣 | rénzhā | dregs of society; scum | |
| 渣滓 | zhāzǐ | residue; dregs |
Questions about 渣
How many strokes are in 渣?
渣 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 渣 mean?
渣 (zhā) means dregs, sediment; refuse, slag. A common word with it is 渣子 (zhāzi), meaning "dregs; bits".
How do you pronounce 渣?
渣 is pronounced zhā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 渣?
The radical of 渣 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 渣 under this radical.
Is 渣 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 渣 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 渣男 mean?
渣男 (zhānán) is popular slang for a man who cheats on or mistreats his partners, roughly like calling someone a jerk or a player. The female version is 渣女 (zhānǚ). It is informal and insulting.
Can 渣 describe something of poor quality?
Yes, in casual speech 渣 can mean very bad or weak, for example 我的英语很渣 (wǒ de Yīngyǔ hěn zhā), my English is terrible. This use is informal internet slang, so avoid it in formal writing.