Meaning of 火柴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- match (for lighting fire)
Measure word: 根,盒
How to use 火柴
火柴 is the everyday word for a match, and the measure word is 根 (gēn) for one match or 盒 (hé) for a box. You strike a match with 划 (huá). Example: 他划了一根火柴。(Tā huá le yì gēn huǒchái.) He struck a match.
火柴 is literally 火 (huǒ, fire) plus 柴 (chái, firewood). A match is a tiny stick of firewood that makes fire.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 火柴 (huǒchái) with 火车 (huǒchē, train) because the second syllables sound close, so pay attention to chái versus chē. Also, 柴 is second tone, not fourth.
火柴 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.
火 huǒ · fire · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
柴 chái · firewood · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 火柴.
| 火车 | huǒchē | train |
| 着火 | zháohuǒ | to catch fire |
| 火灾 | huǒzāi | serious fire (in a city or a forest etc) |
| 火腿 | huǒtuǐ | ham |
| 火箭 | huǒjiàn | rocket |
| 火焰 | huǒyàn | blaze; flame |
| 火山 | huǒshān | volcano |
| 发火 | fāhuǒ | to catch fire; to ignite; to lose one's temper; to blow up |
| 点火 | diǎnhuǒ | to ignite; to light a fire |
| 火花 | huǒhuā | spark; sparkle |
| 火药 | huǒyào | gunpowder |
| 烟火 | yānhuǒ | smoke and fire; cooked food |
Questions about 火柴
What does 火柴 mean?
火柴 (huǒchái) means "match (for lighting fire)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 火柴?
火柴 is made of 2 characters: 火 (4 strokes), 柴 (10 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 火柴 an HSK word?
Yes. 火柴 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say lighter in Chinese, and is it different from 火柴?
A lighter is 打火机 (dǎhuǒjī), literally a fire-striking machine. 火柴 only means a wooden or paper match.
What verb do you use to light a match in Chinese?
The most common verb is 划 (huá), as in 划火柴 (huá huǒchái), to strike a match. To light something with it, you use 点 (diǎn), as in 用火柴点蜡烛 (yòng huǒchái diǎn làzhú), to light a candle with a match.