吒

zhā / zhà
noun #84,569

Meanings

  1. 1 (syllable in legendary names, e.g. 哪吒 Nezha)

Examples

HSK 4
Tā yǒu liǎng gè gēge, Jīnzhā hé Mùzhā.
He has two older brothers, Jinzha and Muzha.
HSK 5
Nézhā shì Zhōngguó shénhuà zhōng de zhùmíng rénwù.
Nezha is a famous figure in Chinese mythology.

Tips

usage
Read 吒 as the syllable in mythological names, above all 哪吒 (the boy-god Nezha). It is not used as a standalone word in this reading.
culture
哪吒 is a beloved deity from the novel 封神演义 (Investiture of the Gods). A 2019 animated film about him became one of China's highest-grossing movies.

Components

radical
口 kǒu
mouth
The mouth radical 口 on the left is typical of characters used for sounds and exclamations, which is the original role of this character.
phonetic
乇 tuō
to entrust; a leaf stalk
On the right 乇 supplies the sound, shifted to zhā here. It carries no meaning in this character.

Stroke Order

吒 zhā