卫星 meaning in English
(aerospace) satellite; (astronomy) satellite; moon
Meaning of 卫星
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (aerospace) satellite
- (astronomy) satellite; moon
Measure word: 顆|颗
How to use 卫星
卫星 covers both man-made satellites and natural moons. It often appears in compounds like 卫星电视 (wèixīng diànshì, satellite TV) and 人造卫星 (rénzào wèixīng, artificial satellite). Example: 月亮是地球的卫星。(Yuèliang shì dìqiú de wèixīng.) The moon is Earth's satellite.
卫 (wèi) means to guard, and 星 (xīng) means star. A satellite is like a little star that circles and guards a planet.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 卫星 (wèixīng) with 卫生 (wèishēng, hygiene), as in 卫生间 (wèishēngjiān, bathroom). The second syllables differ: 星 is xīng with a final ng, 生 is shēng with sh.
卫星 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.
卫 wèi · to guard · 3 strokes
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星 xīng · star · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 卫星.
| 星期 | xīngqī | week; day of the week |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday |
| 明星 | míngxīng | star; celebrity |
| 星星 | xīngxing | (coll.) a star; the stars in the sky |
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | bathroom; toilet |
| 卫生 | wèishēng | hygienic; sanitary; hygiene; sanitation |
| 保卫 | bǎowèi | to defend; to safeguard |
| 歌星 | gēxīng | singing star; famous singer |
| 影星 | yǐngxīng | film star |
| 球星 | qiúxīng | sports star (ball sport) |
| 外星人 | wàixīngrén | space alien; extraterrestrial |
Questions about 卫星
What does 卫星 mean?
卫星 (wèixīng) means "(aerospace) satellite; (astronomy) satellite; moon" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 卫星?
卫星 is made of 2 characters: 卫 (3 strokes), 星 (9 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 卫星 an HSK word?
Yes. 卫星 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 卫星 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 卫星 is written 衛星.
How do you say the moon in everyday Chinese if 卫星 also means moon?
In daily speech, Earth's moon is 月亮 (yuèliang) or 月球 (yuèqiú) in science. 卫星 is the general term for any moon, such as the moons of Jupiter, 木星的卫星 (mùxīng de wèixīng).
Does 卫星 have any figurative meanings?
Yes. It can describe something small that orbits a larger center, as in 卫星城 (wèixīngchéng), a satellite town near a big city.