茄 meaning and stroke order
Eggplant
How to write 茄, stroke by stroke
8 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 茄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- eggplant
- phonetic character used in loanwords for the sound "jia", although 夾|夹[jia2] is more common
How 茄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 加 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 茄
茄 is a plant (艹 grass radical on top) with 加 (jiā) underneath giving the sound. Picture a vegetable plant that keeps adding (加) big purple eggplants to its vines.
Most of the time 茄 is read qié and appears in vegetable words like 茄子 (qiézi, eggplant) and 番茄 (fānqié, tomato). The reading jiā shows up mainly in the loanword 雪茄 (xuějiā, cigar). Example: 我想吃番茄炒蛋。(Wǒ xiǎng chī fānqié chǎo dàn.) I want to eat tomato and scrambled eggs.
Common mistake: Learners often say jiā for eggplant because of the phonetic 加, but in 茄子 and 番茄 it is qié with a second tone. Save jiā for 雪茄 (xuějiā).
Common words with 茄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
茄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 茄
How many strokes are in 茄?
茄 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 茄 mean?
茄 (jiā) means eggplant. A common word with it is 番茄 (fānqié), meaning "tomato".
How do you pronounce 茄?
茄 is pronounced jiā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 茄?
The radical of 茄 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 茄 under this radical.
Is 茄 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 茄 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 番茄 mean tomato if 茄 means eggplant?
番 (fān) was used for things brought in from foreign lands, so 番茄 is literally a foreign eggplant. Tomatoes and eggplants are related plants, which made the name feel natural.
Is 西红柿 the same as 番茄?
Yes, both mean tomato. 西红柿 (xīhóngshì) is very common in northern China, while 番茄 is more common in the south, in Taiwan, and in words like 番茄酱 (fānqiéjiàng, ketchup).