膠 meaning and stroke order
Glue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to glue
How to write 膠, stroke by stroke
15 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 膠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to glue
- glue
- gum
- rubber
How 膠 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 翏 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 膠
膠 (jiāo) pairs the flesh radical ⺼ with the sound part 翏. Picture glue boiled down from animal flesh and hide, sticky enough to hold feathers (羽 at the top of 翏) in place.
膠 is the traditional form of 胶, and it appears in everyday words for sticky or rubbery things, like 膠水 (jiāoshuǐ, glue), 膠帶 (jiāodài, tape) and 橡膠 (xiàngjiāo, rubber). Example: 我需要一點膠水。 (Wǒ xūyào yìdiǎn jiāoshuǐ.) I need a little glue.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes misread 膠 as 謬 (miù, absurd) or 廖 (liào, a surname), because all three share the 翏 part. Check the left side: the flesh radical ⺼ marks 膠, the glue character.
Common words with 膠
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 膠帶 | jiāodài | adhesive tape; magnetic tape | HSK 5 |
| 膠水 | jiāoshuǐ | glue | HSK 5 |
| 橡膠 | xiàngjiāo | rubber; caoutchouc | HSK 7-9 |
| 膠片 | jiāopiàn | (photographic) film | HSK 7-9 |
| 膠囊 | jiāonáng | (pharm.) capsule | HSK 7-9 |
| 膠卷 | jiāojuǎn | roll of film | |
| 塑膠 | sùjiāo | synthetic resin; plastic cement; (Tw) plastic | |
| 膠布 | jiāobù | adhesive plaster; band-aid | |
| 凝膠 | níngjiāo | gel | |
| 髮膠 | fàjiāo | hair gel |
Questions about 膠
How many strokes are in 膠?
膠 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 膠 mean?
膠 (jiāo) means glue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to glue. A common word with it is 胶带 (jiāodài), meaning "adhesive tape; magnetic tape".
How do you pronounce 膠?
膠 is pronounced jiāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 膠?
The radical of 膠 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 膠 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 膠?
膠 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 胶, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 膠水 and 膠帶?
膠水 (jiāoshuǐ) is liquid glue that you squeeze or brush on. 膠帶 (jiāodài) is adhesive tape on a roll. Both use 膠 for the sticky part.
Why does 膠 appear in words for film and capsules?
Old photographic film and medicine capsules were made from gelatin or similar gummy materials. That is why 膠片 (jiāopiàn) means film and 膠囊 (jiāonáng) means capsule.