Meaning of 太空
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- outer space
How to use 太空
太空 is a noun used for outer space in science, news, and everyday talk. It often appears in compounds like 太空人 (tàikōngrén, astronaut) and 太空站 (tàikōngzhàn, space station). Example: 他想去太空旅行。(Tā xiǎng qù tàikōng lǚxíng.) He wants to travel to outer space.
太 (tài) means "extremely, very great" and 空 (kōng) means "empty." Outer space is the extremely great emptiness above the sky.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 太空 (tàikōng, outer space) with 天空 (tiānkōng, the sky you see overhead). Also keep 空 in the first tone here, not the fourth tone kòng used in 有空儿 (yǒukòngr, to have free time).
太空 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.
太 tài · highest · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
空 kōng · empty · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 太空.
| 太太 | tàitai | married woman; Mrs. |
| 太阳 | tàiyáng | sun; sunlight; sunshine |
| 空气 | kōngqì | air; atmosphere |
| 不太 | bù tài | |
| 有空儿 | yǒukòngr | erhua form of 有空[you3 kong4] |
| 天空 | tiānkōng | sky |
| 老太太 | lǎotàitai | elderly lady (respectful); esteemed mother |
| 空调 | kōngtiáo | air conditioning; air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode) |
| 空儿 | kòngr | spare time; free time |
| 空间 | kōngjiān | space; room; (fig.) scope; leeway |
| 航空 | hángkōng | aviation |
| 填空 | tiánkòng | to fill a job vacancy; to fill in a blank (e.g. on a form, questionnaire or exam paper) |
Questions about 太空
What does 太空 mean?
太空 (tàikōng) means "outer space" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 太空?
太空 is made of 2 characters: 太 (4 strokes), 空 (8 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 太空 an HSK word?
Yes. 太空 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 太空 and 宇宙?
太空 (tàikōng) is the space beyond Earth's atmosphere, the place rockets and astronauts go. 宇宙 (yǔzhòu) means the universe, everything that exists, so it is a much bigger and more abstract idea.
Does 太 in 太空 mean "too" like in 太好了?
No. In 太空, 太 keeps its older sense of "supreme" or "very great," the same sense seen in 太阳 (tàiyáng, sun). It does not mean "too much" as in 太好了 (tài hǎo le) or 不太 (bù tài).