Meaning of 夹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to press from either side
- to place in between
- to sandwich
- to carry sth under armpit
- wedged between
- between
- to intersperse
- to mix
- double-layered (quilt); lined (garment)
- used in 夾肢窩|夹肢窝[ga1 zhi5 wo1]
- variant of 夾|夹[jia2]
How to use 夹
夹 (jiā) is a common verb for gripping something from two sides, especially picking up food with chopsticks. It also appears in nouns for things that grip or hold, like 夹子 (jiāzi, clip), 文件夹 (wénjiànjiā, folder) and 皮夹 (píjiā, wallet). Example: 他用筷子夹菜。(Tā yòng kuàizi jiā cài.) He picks up food with chopsticks.
Look at 夹 as a big person 大 with a stroke on each side squeezed in close. Think of someone pressing things from both sides, like holding food between chopsticks.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 夹 with 来 (lái) or 夫 (fū) because the shapes are close. In 夹 the two short strokes sit on either side of the vertical, not as an extra horizontal line. Also, 夹克 (jacket) is usually said jiākè in the mainland, though you may hear jiá.
夹 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.
夹 jiā · to press from either side · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 夹.
| 夹克 | jiākè | (loanword) jacket; also pr. [jia2 ke4] |
| 皮夹 | píjiā | wallet; Taiwan pr. [pi2 jia2] |
| 文件夹 | wénjiànjiā | folder; file (paper) |
| 夹子 | jiāzi | clip; clamp |
| 弹夹 | dànjiā | ammunition clip; cartridge clip; magazine |
| 发夹 | fàjiā | hair clip |
| 夹击 | jiājī | pincer attack; attack from two or more sides |
| 夹心 | jiāxīn | to fill with stuffing (e.g. in cooking); stuffed |
| 夹层 | jiācéng | hollow layer between two solid layers; (architecture) mezzanine |
| 夹紧 | jiājǐn | to clamp; to grip |
Questions about 夹
What does 夹 mean?
夹 (jiā) means "to press from either side; to place in between" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 夹?
夹 is made of 1 character: 夹 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 夹 an HSK word?
Yes. 夹 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 夹 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 夹 is written 夾.
How do you say picking up food with chopsticks in Chinese?
Use 夹 (jiā) with the food as the object, as in 夹菜 (jiā cài) or 给你夹一块肉 (gěi nǐ jiā yí kuài ròu), I'll pick up a piece of meat for you. Serving food to others this way is a common polite gesture at Chinese meals.
What does 夹 mean when it is pronounced gā?
The gā reading appears in 夹肢窝 (gāzhiwō), a colloquial word for armpit. This connects to the jiā sense of carrying something tucked under the arm.