Meaning of 桥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- bridge
Measure word: 座
How to use 桥
桥 is the everyday word for a bridge, and it takes the measure word 座 (zuò). It also appears in compounds like 天桥 (tiānqiáo, pedestrian bridge) and 立交桥 (lìjiāoqiáo, overpass). Example: 河上有一座桥。(Hé shàng yǒu yí zuò qiáo.) There is a bridge over the river.
桥 (qiáo) has 木 (mù, wood) on the left, because early bridges were often made of wood. The right side 乔 (qiáo) gives the sound, so think of a tall wooden structure 乔 arching over water.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 夭 or 天 plus extra strokes, but it is 乔, the same part as in 侨 (qiáo, overseas Chinese) and 骄 (jiāo, proud). Also remember the second tone, qiáo, not qiǎo as in 巧.
桥 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.
桥 qiáo · bridge · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 桥.
Questions about 桥
What does 桥 mean?
桥 (qiáo) means "bridge" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 桥?
桥 is made of 1 character: 桥 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 桥 an HSK word?
Yes. 桥 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 桥 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 桥 is written 橋.
What is the difference between 桥 and 桥梁?
桥 is the common spoken word for a bridge. 桥梁 (qiáoliáng) is more formal and is often used figuratively, as in a bridge between cultures.
Does 桥 have other meanings besides a physical bridge?
Yes, in some compounds. 桥牌 (qiáopái) is the card game bridge, 舰桥 (jiànqiáo) is the bridge of a ship, and 桥段 (qiáoduàn) means a scene or trope in a film or story.