Meaning of 杂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- mixed
- miscellaneous
- various
- to mix
- variant of 雜|杂[za2]
How to use 杂
杂 usually appears in compounds such as 复杂 (fùzá, complicated), 杂志 (zázhì, magazine) and 杂技 (zájì, acrobatics). On its own it describes something mixed or messy, often with 很 or 太. Example: 这个问题很复杂。 (Zhège wèntí hěn fùzá.) This problem is very complicated.
杂 (zá) looks like 九 (jiǔ, nine) sitting on top of 木 (mù, tree or wood). Picture nine different things piled on one tree, and you get a mixed, miscellaneous jumble.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top part as 丸 or 力 instead of 九. Remember it is the number nine with no extra dot. Also keep the second tone in 复杂 (fùzá); it is not fùzà.
杂 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.
杂 zá · mixed · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 杂.
| 复杂 | fùzá | complicated; complex |
| 杂志 | zázhì | magazine |
| 杂交 | zájiāo | to hybridize; to crossbreed |
| 错综复杂 | cuòzōng-fùzá | tangled and complicated (idiom) |
| 杂技 | zájì | acrobatics |
| 杂乱无章 | záluàn-wúzhāng | disordered and in a mess (idiom); all mixed up and chaotic |
| 杂种 | zázhǒng | hybrid; mixed breed |
| 杂货店 | záhuòdiàn | grocery store; emporium |
| 杂草 | zácǎo | weeds |
| 杂碎 | zásui | offal; cooked minced offal |
| 杂志社 | zázhìshè | magazine publisher |
| 杂耍 | záshuǎ | a sideshow; vaudeville |
Questions about 杂
What does 杂 mean?
杂 (zá) means "mixed; miscellaneous" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 杂?
杂 is made of 1 character: 杂 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 杂 an HSK word?
Yes. 杂 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 杂 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 杂 is written 雜.
What does 杂 mean in 杂志?
In 杂志 (zázhì) the 杂 means various or miscellaneous, and 志 means a record. A magazine is a record of mixed topics, unlike a book on one subject.
Can 杂 describe a messy room?
Yes, but it is more natural to use 乱 (luàn) or 杂乱 (záluàn). For example, 房间很乱 (fángjiān hěn luàn) means the room is messy. 杂 alone stresses that many different things are mixed together.