Meaning of 垃圾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- trash
- refuse
- garbage
- (coll.) of poor quality
- Taiwan pr. [le4 se4]
How to use 垃圾
垃圾 (lājī) is the everyday word for trash or garbage, and it appears in many compounds like 垃圾桶 (lājītǒng, trash can) and 垃圾车 (lājīchē, garbage truck). In casual speech it also describes something of poor quality. Example: 请把垃圾扔进垃圾桶。(Qǐng bǎ lājī rēng jìn lājītǒng.) Please throw the trash into the trash can.
Both 垃 (lā) and 圾 (jī) have the earth radical 土 on the left, so picture dirt and junk piled on the ground. The right sides, 立 and 及, mainly give the sound.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side of 圾 as 极 or 吸 because they share the 及 part, but 圾 must have 土 on the left. Also, mainland pronunciation is lājī, while Taiwan uses lèsè, so do not mix the two in one sentence.
垃圾 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.
垃 lā · garbage · 8 strokes
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圾 jī · garbage · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 垃圾.
Questions about 垃圾
What does 垃圾 mean?
垃圾 (lājī) means "trash; refuse" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 垃圾?
垃圾 is made of 2 characters: 垃 (8 strokes), 圾 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 垃圾 an HSK word?
Yes. 垃圾 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'take out the trash' in Chinese?
The common phrase is 倒垃圾 (dào lājī), literally 'pour out the garbage'. You can also say 扔垃圾 (rēng lājī) for throwing trash away.
Can 垃圾 be used to insult something or someone?
Yes. In informal speech, calling something 垃圾 means it is junk or useless, as in 这个手机真垃圾 (zhège shǒujī zhēn lājī), 'this phone is really trash'. Using it for a person is rude, so be careful.