Meaning of 差
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- different
- wrong; mistaken
- to fall short; to lack
- not up to standard; inferior
- Taiwan pr. [cha1]
- difference; discrepancy
- (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction)
- (literary) a little; somewhat; slightly
- to send (on an errand)
- (archaic) person sent on such an errand
- job; official post
- used in 參差|参差[cen1 ci1]
How to use 差
As chà, 差 describes poor quality or something missing, and it is also used in telling time: 差五分八点 (chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn) means five to eight. Example: 他的中文不差。(Tā de Zhōngwén bù chà.) His Chinese is not bad.
The top of 差 looks like 羊 (yáng, sheep) with its tail cut short, and the bottom is 工 (gōng, work). Picture a sheep doing sloppy work: the result is poor, so 差 (chà) means bad or falling short.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 差 as chà, but it is chā in 差别 (chābié) and 差距 (chājù), and chāi in 出差 (chūchāi). Also do not confuse it with 着 (zhe/zháo), which shares a similar top but has 目 underneath.
差 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.
差 chà · different · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 差.
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
| 出差 | chūchāi | to go on an official or business trip |
| 差别 | chābié | difference; distinction; disparity |
| 差距 | chājù | disparity; gap |
| 差点儿 | chàdiǎnr | erhua variant of 差點|差点[cha4 dian3] |
| 差一点儿 | chàyīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 差一點|差一点[cha4 yi1 dian3] |
| 差异 | chāyì | difference; discrepancy |
| 差错 | chācuò | mistake; slip-up; fault; error; accident; mishap |
| 相差 | xiāngchà | to differ |
| 偏差 | piānchā | bias; deviation |
| 误差 | wùchā | difference; error |
| 差额 | chā'é | balance (financial); discrepancy (in a sum or quota) |
Questions about 差
What does 差 mean?
差 (chà) means "different; wrong; mistaken" and is used as a verb and adjective.
How do you write 差?
差 is made of 1 character: 差 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 差 an HSK word?
Yes. 差 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 差不多 and 差点儿?
差不多 (chàbuduō) means about the same or almost, as in 差不多十点 (about ten o'clock). 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) means something nearly happened but did not, as in 我差点儿迟到 (I almost arrived late).
How do I say how much is missing with 差?
Put the missing amount right after 差. For example, 还差十块钱 (hái chà shí kuài qián) means I am still ten yuan short.