沙发 meaning in English
(loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1]); (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post
Meaning of 沙发
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1])
- (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post
How to use 沙发
沙发 is the everyday word for a sofa or couch, and it often takes the measure word 张 (zhāng) or 条 (tiáo). Online, people also post 沙发 to mean they got the first reply on a forum thread. Example: 他坐在沙发上看电视。 (Tā zuò zài shāfā shang kàn diànshì.) He is sitting on the sofa watching TV.
沙发 (shāfā) is a loanword that copies the sound of the English word "sofa." Picture sinking into a soft sofa like sinking into 沙 (shā, sand), and let the sound shā-fā echo "so-fa."
Common mistake: Learners often say shāfa with a light second syllable, or use the fourth tone fà. Both syllables are first tone: shāfā. Also note that the 发 here is not 头发 (tóufa, hair), even though both use the same simplified character.
沙发 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.
沙 shā · sand · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
发 fā · to send out · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 沙发.
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey); (fig.) to proceed from (a particular standpoint or ba |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 发生 | fāshēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to arise (e.g. 發生問題|发生问题[fa1 sheng1 wen4 ti2] "a probl |
| 发展 | fāzhǎn | development; growth |
| 发出 | fāchū | to issue (an order, decree etc); to send out; to dispatch; to produce (a sound); to let ou |
| 发明 | fāmíng | to invent; an invention |
| 发表 | fābiǎo | to issue; to publish |
| 发动 | fādòng | to start; to launch |
| 发送 | fāsòng | to transmit; to dispatch |
| 开发 | kāifā | to exploit (a resource); to open up (for development); to develop |
| 发言 | fāyán | to make a speech; statement |
Questions about 沙发
What does 沙发 mean?
沙发 (shāfā) means "(loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1]); (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 沙发?
沙发 is made of 2 characters: 沙 (7 strokes), 发 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 沙发 an HSK word?
Yes. 沙发 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 沙发 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 沙发 is written 沙發.
Why is it 坐在沙发上 and not 坐在沙发里?
Chinese usually treats a sofa as a surface, so 沙发上 (shāfā shang) is the normal phrase. 沙发里 is possible when you mean sinking deep into a big soft sofa, but 上 is far more common.
What does it mean when someone comments 沙发 on a post?
It is internet slang claiming the first reply, a bit like saying "first" in English comments. The second and third replies are sometimes jokingly called 板凳 (bǎndèng, bench) and 地板 (dìbǎn, floor).