Meaning of 指甲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- fingernail
How to use 指甲
指甲 is the everyday word for fingernail, and it often appears with the verb 剪 (jiǎn, to cut). Example: 我要剪指甲。(Wǒ yào jiǎn zhǐjia.) I need to cut my nails.
指 (zhǐ) means finger, and 甲 (jiǎ) means a shell or hard armor. A fingernail is the little hard shell on the tip of your finger.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable with a full third tone as jiǎ. In standard speech it is usually light and neutral, zhǐjia, though zhījia and zhǐjiǎ are also heard. Also, 指 has 扌 on the left, so do not confuse it with 脂 (zhī, fat), which has 月.
指甲 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.
指 zhǐ · finger · 9 strokes
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甲 jiǎ · first of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi… · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 指甲.
| 手指 | shǒuzhǐ | finger |
| 指导 | zhǐdǎo | to guide; to direct; to instruct; coach; trainer |
| 指出 | zhǐchū | to indicate; to point out |
| 指挥 | zhǐhuī | to conduct; to command |
| 指示 | zhǐshì | to point out; to indicate |
| 指责 | zhǐzé | to criticize; to find fault with |
| 指标 | zhǐbiāo | (production) target; quota; index; indicator |
| 指着 | zhǐzhe | |
| 指定 | zhǐdìng | to appoint; to assign |
| 指数 | zhǐshù | (numerical, statistical) index; (math.) exponent |
| 指头 | zhǐtou | finger; toe |
| 戒指 | jièzhi | (finger) ring |
Questions about 指甲
What does 指甲 mean?
指甲 (zhǐjia) means "fingernail" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 指甲?
指甲 is made of 2 characters: 指 (9 strokes), 甲 (5 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 指甲 an HSK word?
Yes. 指甲 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say toenail in Chinese?
Toenail is 脚指甲 (jiǎo zhǐjia), literally foot nail. You can also see it written 脚趾甲 (jiǎozhǐjia), since 趾 (zhǐ) means toe.
What is nail polish in Chinese?
Nail polish is 指甲油 (zhǐjiayóu), literally fingernail oil. A manicure is often called 美甲 (měijiǎ), which is also the word for a nail salon service.