HSK 3.0 Polyphones

HSK 3.0 polyphonic characters (多音字) — characters with multiple pronunciations, each with a different meaning. Browse by HSK level or search a character to check its readings.

Type a character to check if it has multiple readings — e.g. 长 (cháng / zhǎng)

和

húto complete a set in mahjong or playing cards

héold variant of 和 / surname He / (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. ) / (math.) sum / to make peace / (sports) to draw; to tie / (bound form) harmonious / (bound form) Japan; Japanese / (literary) harmonious (variant of 和)

hèto compose a poem in reply (to sb's poem) using the same rhyme sequence / to join in the singing / to chime in with others

huóto combine a powdery substance (flour, plaster etc) with water / Taiwan pr.

huòto mix (ingredients) together / to blend / classifier for rinses of clothes / classifier for boilings of medicinal herbs

差

chàdifferent / wrong; mistaken / to fall short; to lack / not up to standard; inferior / Taiwan pr.

chādifference; discrepancy / (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction) / (literary) a little; somewhat; slightly

chāito send (on an errand) / (archaic) person sent on such an errand / job; official post

cīused in 參差|参差

坏

huàibad / spoiled / broken / to break down / (suffix) to the utmost

pēivariant of 坯 (unfired clay) (archaic)

pīvariant of 坯 (archaic)

péimound of earth (archaic)

那

nà(specifier) that; the; those (colloquial pr. ) / (pronoun) that (referring to persons, things or situations) / then (in that case)

nǎvariant of 哪

nèicontraction of 那一 (that one) (colloquial)

nāsurname Na

行

hàngrow; line; rank (archaic variant)

héngused in 道行

xíng(bound form) to walk; to go; to travel / (literary) trip; journey; visit / (bound form) temporary; makeshift / (bound form) current; in circulation / (bound form) to do; to perform / capable; competent / all right; OK!; will do / behavior; conduct (Taiwan pr. ) / (literary) about to; soon

háng(bound form) row; line / (bound form) line of business; trade; profession / (bound form) commercial firm / (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age) / (in data tables) row; (Tw) column / classifier for rows or lines

大

dàbig; large; great / older (than another person) / eldest (as in 大姐) / greatly; freely; fully / (dialect) father / (dialect) uncle (father's brother)

dàisee 大夫

tàivariant of 太 (too; excessive) (archaic)

得

děito have to / must / ought to / to need to

destructural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc

déto obtain / to get / to gain / to catch (a disease) / proper / suitable / proud / contented / to allow / to permit / ready / finished

的

díreally and truly

dì(bound form) bull's-eye; target

deof; ~'s (possessive particle) / (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun) / (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) / (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的|跑堂儿的 "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 "new one") / also pr. or in poetry and songs

弟

dìyounger brother / junior male / I (modest word in letter)

tìvariant of 悌

tuívariant of 颓 (to decline) (archaic)

喝

hēto drink / variant of 嗬

hèto shout

yèto shout loudly; to cry out (variant of 喝 hè)

累

lèitired / weary / to strain / to wear out / to work hard

léirope / to bind together / to twist around

lěito accumulate / to involve or implicate (Taiwan pr. ) / continuous / repeated

吗

má(coll.) what?

mǎused in 嗎啡|吗啡

ma(question particle for "yes-no" questions)

难

nándifficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good

nàndisaster / distress / to scold

nuóto exorcise; to expel (archaic, variant of 傩)

说

shuōto speak; to talk; to say / to explain; to comment / to scold; to tell off / (bound form) theory; doctrine / variant of 說|说

shuìto persuade

yuèvariant of 悦 (to please; happy) (archaic)

体

tǐbody / form / style / system / substance / to experience / aspect (linguistics)

tīused in 體己|体己 / Taiwan pr.

bènclumsy; rough (archaic, variant of 笨)

着

zháovariant of 著|着 / to touch / to come in contact with / to feel / to be affected by / to catch fire / to burn / (coll.) to fall asleep / (after a verb) hitting the mark / succeeding in

zhuóvariant of 著|着 / to wear (clothes) / to contact / to use / to apply

zhāovariant of 著|着 / a move in chess (Taiwan pr. ) / trick; tactic / (dialect) okay; all right / (dialect) to put in; to add

不

fǒuvariant of 否 (not; no) (archaic)

bùno; not so / (bound form) not; un-

场

chángthreshing floor / classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout / variant of 場|场

chǎnglarge place used for a specific purpose / stage / scene (of a play) / classifier for sporting or recreational activities / classifier for number of exams / variant of 場|场

车

chēsurname Che / car / vehicle / CL:輛|辆 / machine / to shape with a lathe / Kangxi radical 159

jūwar chariot (archaic) / rook (in Chinese chess) / rook (in chess)

从

cóngvariant of 從|从 / surname Cong / from; through; via / (bound form) to follow / (bound form) to obey / (bound form) to engage in (an activity) / (used before a negative) ever / (bound form) (Taiwan pr. ) retainer; attendant / (bound form) (Taiwan pr. ) assistant; auxiliary; subordinate / (bound form) (Taiwan pr. ) related by common paternal grandfather or earlier ancestor

zòngattendant; follower (archaic variant of 从 zòng)

答

dáto answer / to reply / to respond

dābound form having the same meaning as the free word 答, used in 答應|答应, 答理 etc

打

dá(loanword) dozen / Taiwan pr.

dǎa semantically light, transitive verb that is combined with various grammatical objects to form compound verbs and verb-object phrases with a diverse range of meanings (e.g. 打傘|打伞 "to hold an umbrella", 打電話|打电话 "to make a phone call", 打針|打针 "to get an injection", 打手套 "to knit gloves", 打氣|打气 "to inflate") / to hit; to strike / to fight / (coll.) from; since (as in 打那以後|打那以后 "since then")

地

dìearth / ground / field / place / land / CL:片

de-ly / structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct

都

dūsurname Du / capital city / metropolis

dōuall; both; entirely / (used for emphasis) even / already / (not) at all

读

dúto read out; to read aloud / to read / to attend (school); to study (a subject in school) / to pronounce

dòucomma / phrase marked by pause

儿

érchild / son

ernon-syllabic diminutive suffix (e.g. 花儿 huār); retroflex final

分

fēnto divide; to separate / to distribute; to allocate / to distinguish (good and bad) / (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局) / fraction / one tenth (of certain units) / unit of length equivalent to 0.33 cm / minute (unit of time) / minute (angular measurement unit) / a point (in sports or games) / 0.01 yuan (unit of money)

fènpart / share / ingredient / component

风

fēngwind / news / style / custom / manner / CL:陣|阵,絲|丝

fěngto criticize gently; to advise (archaic)

吧

ba(modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise) / ...right? / ...OK? / ...I presume.

bābar (loanword) (serving drinks, or providing Internet access etc) / to puff (on a pipe etc) / (onom.) bang / abbr. for 貼吧|贴吧

北

běinorth / (classical) to be defeated

bèito be defeated; to flee north (archaic)

别

bièto make sb change their ways, opinions etc

biésurname Bie / to leave; to part (from) / (literary) to differentiate; to distinguish / (dialect) to turn away; to turn aside; to avert (one's face, gaze etc) / (bound form) other; another; different / don't ...! / to fasten with a pin or clip / to stick in; to insert (in order to hinder movement) / (noun suffix) category (as in 性別|性别, 派別|派别)

个

gè(classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier) / (bound form) individual / variant of 個|个

gěused in 自個兒|自个儿

会

huìcan; to have the skill; to know how to / to be likely to; to be sure to / to meet; to get together / meeting; gathering / (suffix) union; group; association / (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. )

kuài(bound form) to reckon accounts

几

jīsmall table / (literary) almost

jǐhow many; how much / several; a few

家

jiāused in 傢伙|家伙 and 傢俱|家俱 / home / family / (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) / classifier for families or businesses / refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China / noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian / CL:個|个

jiasuffix for a specialist in a field (e.g. 科学家 scientist)

假

jiǎfake / false / artificial / to borrow / if / suppose / variant of 假

jiàvacation

间

jiānbetween / among / within a definite time or space / room / section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars / classifier for rooms

jiàngap / to separate / to thin out (seedlings) / to sow discontent

见

jiànto see / to meet / to appear (to be sth) / to interview / opinion / view

xiànto appear / also written 現|现

教

jiāoto teach; to instruct

jiàosurname Jiao / (bound form) to teach; to instruct / a religion / to cause (sb to do sth); to tell (sb to do sth)

觉

juéto feel / to find that / thinking / awake / aware

jiàoa nap / a sleep / CL:場|场

净

jìngvariant of 淨|净 / clean / completely / only / net (income, exports etc) / (Chinese opera) painted face male role

chēngcold; freezing (archaic)

服

fùclassifier for medicine: dose / Taiwan pr.

fúclothes / dress / garment / to serve (in the military, a prison sentence etc) / to obey / to be convinced (by an argument) / to convince / to admire / to acclimatize / to take (medicine) / mourning clothes / to wear mourning clothes

干

gàntree trunk / main part of sth / to manage / to work / to do / capable / cadre / to kill (slang) / to fuck (vulgar) / (coll.) pissed off / annoyed

gānold variant of 乾|干 / surname Gan / dry / dried food / empty; hollow / taken in to nominal kinship; adoptive; foster / futile; in vain / (dialect) rude; blunt / (dialect) to cold-shoulder / variant of 乾|干 / (bound form) to have to do with; to concern oneself with / one of the ten heavenly stems 天干 / (archaic) shield

给

gěito / for / for the benefit of / to give / to allow / to do sth (for sb) / (grammatical equivalent of 被) / (grammatical equivalent of 把) / (sentence intensifier)

jǐ(bound form) to supply; to provide / (literary) sufficient; abundant

过

guòto cross / to go over / to pass (time) / to celebrate (a holiday) / to live / to get along / excessively / too-

guōsurname Guo

还

huánsurname Huan / to pay back / to return

háistill / still in progress / still more / yet / even more / in addition / fairly / passably (good) / as early as / even / also / else

好

hǎogood / appropriate; proper / all right! / (before a verb) easy to / (before a verb) good to / (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so / (verb complement indicating completion) / (of two people) close; on intimate terms / (after a personal pronoun) hello

hàoto be fond of; to have a tendency to; to be prone to

号

háo(bound form) to wail; to howl

hào(literary) to call out; to command / (bound form) bugle; trumpet / (bound form) signal; bugle call (e.g. 起床號|起床号) / (bound form) mark; sign / to mark; to label; to assign a number / (bound form) name; appellation (e.g. 國號|国号, 年號|年号, 遼寧號|辽宁号) / (after a numeral) number designation (e.g. 237號房間|237号房间 "Room 237") / day of the month (e.g. 七號|七号 "the 7th") / (bound form) size; type; category (e.g. 五號電池|五号电池) / (TCM) to feel (the pulse) (used in 號脈|号脉) / classifier for numbered people or items

六

liùsix / 6

lùused in place names

么

yāovariant of 幺 (youngest; small) (archaic)

móvariant of 么 used in 么么 (archaic)

没

méi(negative prefix for verbs) have not; not

mòdrowned / to end / to die / to inundate

哪

nǎhow / which

něiwhich? (interrogative, followed by classifier or numeral-classifier)

南

nánsurname Nan / south

nāused in 南無|南无 / Taiwan pr.

呢

nídense wool fabric (used for coats and jackets)

ne(sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?") / (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds / (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech

能

néngsurname Neng / can / to be able to / might possibly / ability / (physics) energy

nàito endure (archaic, variant of 耐)

女

nǚfemale / woman / daughter

rǔold variant of 汝

旁

pángone side / other / different / lateral component of a Chinese character (such as 刂, 亻 etc)

bàngvariant of 傍 (near; by) (archaic)

跑

pǎoto run / to run away / to escape / to run around (on errands etc) / (of a gas or liquid) to leak or evaporate / (verb complement) away / off

páo(of an animal) to paw (the ground)

期

qīvariant of 期 / period / cycle / a period of time / phase / stage / classifier for issues of a periodical, courses of study / time / term / to hope / Taiwan pr.

jīfull year; anniversary (archaic, e.g. 期年 one full year)

上

shàng(bound form) up; upper; above; previous / first (of multiple parts) / to climb; to get onto; to go up / to attend (class or university) / (directional complement) up / (noun suffix) on; above

shǎngused in 上聲|上声

少

shǎofew / less / to lack / to be missing / to stop (doing sth) / seldom

shàoyoung

什

shíten (used in fractions, writing checks etc) / assorted / miscellaneous

shénwhat

识

shíto know / knowledge / Taiwan pr.

zhìto record / to write a footnote

她

tāshe

jiěvariant of 姐 (elder sister) (archaic)

条

tiáostrip / item / article / clause (of law or treaty) / classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc)

tiāoto pick; to select (archaic, variant of 挑)

同

tónglike / same / similar / together / alike / with

tòngused in 胡同 / used in 衚衕|胡同

洗

xǐto wash; to bathe / to develop (photographs) / to shuffle (cards etc) / to erase (a recording)

xiǎnused in 洗馬|洗马

看

kānto look after / to take care of / to watch / to guard

kànto see; to look at / to read / to watch / to visit; to call on / to consider; to regard as / to look after / to treat (a patient or illness) / to depend on / to feel (that) / (after a verb) to give it a try / to watch out for

了

le(completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) / (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)

liǎoto finish / (used with 得 or 不 after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了 "cannot forget") / (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 無|无 or 不) completely (not); entirely (not); (not) in the least / to understand clearly (variant of 瞭|了) / (of eyes) bright / clear-sighted / to understand clearly

些

suòmodal particle (archaic)

xiēclassifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several

兴

xīngsurname Xing / to rise / to flourish / to become popular / to start / to encourage / to get up / (often used in the negative) to permit or allow (dialect) / maybe (dialect)

xìngfeeling or desire to do sth / interest in sth / excitement

休

xiūsurname Xiu / to rest / to stop doing sth for a period of time / to cease / (imperative) don't

xùto assist (archaic)

要

yàoto want; to need; to ask for / will; shall; about to / need to; should / if (same as 要是) / (bound form) important

yāo(bound form) to demand; to coerce

有

yǒuto have; there is / (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 intentional)

yòuagain; moreover (archaic, variant of 又)

雨

yǔrain / CL:陣|阵,場|场

yù(literary) to rain / (of rain, snow etc) to fall / to precipitate / to wet

语

yǔdialect / language / speech

yù(literary) to tell; to let (sb) know

远

yuǎnfar / distant / remote / (intensifier in a comparison) by far / much (lower etc)

yuànto distance oneself from (classical)

这

zhè(pronoun) this; these / (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) / (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. , esp. in Beijing)

zhèi(coll.) this

正

zhèngstraight / upright / proper / main / principal / to correct / to rectify / exactly / just (at that time) / right (in that place) / (math.) positive

zhēngfirst month of the lunar year

知

zhīto know / to be aware

zhìwisdom (archaic, variant of 智)

中

zhōng(bound form) China; Chinese / surname Zhong / within; among; in / middle; center / while (doing sth); during / (dialect) OK; all right

zhòngto hit (a target) / to be struck by (a bullet, illness etc) / to win (a prize or lottery)

重

zhòngheavy / serious / to attach importance to

chóngto repeat / repetition / again / re- / classifier: layer

作

zuō(bound form) worker / (bound form) workshop / (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person)

zuòto do; to engage in / to write; to compose / to pretend; to feign / to regard as; to consider to be / to be; to act the part of / to feel (itchy, nauseous etc) / writings; works

系

jìto tie / to fasten / to button up

xìto connect / to relate to / to tie up / to bind / to be (literary) / system / department / faculty / to arrest / to worry

校

xiào(bound form) school; college / (bound form) (military) field officer

jiàoto check; to collate; to proofread