Meaning of 信号
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- signal
How to use 信号
信号 is used for phone and Wi-Fi reception, traffic signals, and hints someone gives. In daily life you will hear it most when people complain about bad reception. 这里手机没有信号。(Zhèlǐ shǒujī méiyǒu xìnhào.) My phone has no signal here.
信 (xìn) means a message or letter, and 号 (hào) means a sign or number. A 信号 (xìnhào) is a sign that carries a message, like a traffic light or the bars on your phone.
Common mistake: Learners often say 信号 is 好 or 不好 but forget that Chinese speakers also commonly use 强 (qiáng) and 弱 (ruò), as in 信号很弱 (the signal is weak). Also do not confuse 信号 with 信息 (xìnxī), which means the information itself, not the signal that carries it.
信号 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
信 xìn · letter · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
号 hào · to call out · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 信号.
| 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true |
| 信息 | xìnxī | information; news; message |
| 信心 | xìnxīn | confidence; faith (in sb or sth) |
| 短信 | duǎnxìn | text message; SMS |
| 信用卡 | xìnyòngkǎ | credit card |
| 信任 | xìnrèn | to trust; to have confidence in |
| 信封 | xìnfēng | envelope |
| 通信 | tōngxìn | to correspond (by letter, email etc); to send or receive messages through telecommunicatio |
| 号码 | hàomǎ | number |
| 自信 | zìxìn | to have confidence in oneself; self-confidence |
| 符号 | fúhào | symbol; mark; sign |
| 型号 | xínghào | model (particular version of a manufactured article); type (product specification in terms |
Questions about 信号
What does 信号 mean?
信号 (xìnhào) means "signal" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 信号?
信号 is made of 2 characters: 信 (9 strokes), 号 (5 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 信号 an HSK word?
Yes. 信号 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 信号 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 信号 is written 信號.
How do I say my phone has poor reception in Chinese?
You can say 信号不好 (xìnhào bù hǎo) or 信号很差 (xìnhào hěn chà). If there is none at all, say 没有信号 (méiyǒu xìnhào).
Can 信号 mean a hint or signal from a person?
Yes. You can say 他给我一个信号 (tā gěi wǒ yí gè xìnhào), meaning he gave me a signal, such as a look or gesture. The measure word is usually 个 (gè).