Meaning of 灾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- disaster; calamity
- variant of 災|灾[zai1]
- old variant of 災|灾[zai1]
How to use 灾
灾 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It usually appears in compounds like 灾难 (zāinàn), 灾害 (zāihài), 火灾 (huǒzāi) and 水灾 (shuǐzāi). Example: 这个地区去年受灾很严重。(Zhège dìqū qùnián shòuzāi hěn yánzhòng.) This area was hit very hard by disaster last year.
灾 (zāi) is a roof 宀 with fire 火 underneath. A house on fire is a clear picture of disaster.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the top as 冖 without the dot, but it is 宀 with a dot on top. Also do not confuse 灾 (zāi) with 栽 (zāi, to plant) or 哉 (zāi), which share the sound but not the meaning.
灾 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.
灾 zāi · disaster · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 灾.
| 灾难 | zāinàn | disaster; catastrophe |
| 火灾 | huǒzāi | serious fire (in a city or a forest etc) |
| 灾害 | zāihài | calamity; disaster |
| 救灾 | jiùzāi | to relieve disaster; to help disaster victims |
| 受灾 | shòuzāi | disaster-stricken; to be hit by a natural calamity |
| 水灾 | shuǐzāi | flood; flood damage |
| 灾区 | zāiqū | disaster area; stricken region |
| 旱灾 | hànzāi | drought |
| 灾难性 | zāinànxìng | catastrophic |
| 幸灾乐祸 | xìngzāilèhuò | (idiom) to take pleasure in another's misfortune |
| 灾祸 | zāihuò | disaster |
| 灾星 | zāixīng | comet or supernova viewed as evil portent; (fig.) sb or sth that brings disaster |
Questions about 灾
What does 灾 mean?
灾 (zāi) means "disaster; calamity" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 灾?
灾 is made of 1 character: 灾 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 灾 an HSK word?
Yes. 灾 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 灾 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 灾 is written 災.
What is the difference between 灾难 and 灾害?
灾难 (zāinàn) stresses the suffering and tragedy a disaster brings to people. 灾害 (zāihài) is more technical and is often used for natural hazards, as in 自然灾害 (zìrán zāihài), natural disasters.
Can 灾 be used for personal misfortune?
Yes. In set phrases it can mean bad luck or trouble, such as 没病没灾 (méi bìng méi zāi), free of illness and misfortune. This is common when wishing someone a safe and healthy life.