较 meaning in English
(bound form) to compare; (literary) to dispute
Meaning of 较
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (bound form) to compare
- (literary) to dispute
- compared to
- (before an adjective) relatively; comparatively; rather
- also pr. [jiao3]
How to use 较
On its own, 较 usually sits before an adjective to mean "relatively" and sounds a bit more formal or written than 比较 (bǐjiào). Example: 今天天气较冷。(Jīntiān tiānqì jiào lěng.) The weather is relatively cold today. It also appears in words like 计较 (jìjiào, to fuss over) and 较量 (jiàoliàng, to compete).
较 has 车 (chē, vehicle) on the left and 交 (jiāo) on the right, which also hints at the sound jiào. Picture two carts placed side by side so you can compare which one is bigger.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 较 with 校 (xiào, school), since both have 交 on the right. Remember that 较 has the vehicle radical 车 and 校 has the tree radical 木.
较 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.
较 jiào · to compare · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 较.
Questions about 较
What does 较 mean?
较 (jiào) means "(bound form) to compare; (literary) to dispute" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 较?
较 is made of 1 character: 较 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 较 an HSK word?
Yes. 较 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 较 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 较 is written 較.
What is the difference between 较 and 比较 when meaning "relatively"?
Both can mean "relatively" before an adjective. 比较 is more common in everyday speech, while 较 alone is shorter and sounds more formal, so you will see it often in writing, news, and set phrases like 较大 (jiàodà).
Can 较 be used like 比 to compare two things?
Yes, in formal or written Chinese 较 can mean "compared to." For example, 今年较去年好 (jīnnián jiào qùnián hǎo) means "this year is better than last year." In casual speech, people would usually say 比 instead.