zhā / zhà
noun #84,569

Meanings

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

Examples

Nézhā shì Zhōngguó shénhuà zhōng de zhùmíng rénwù.
Nezha is a famous figure in Chinese mythology.
两个哥哥金吒木吒
Tā yǒu liǎng gè gēge, Jīnzhā hé Mùzhā.
He has two older brothers, Jinzha and Muzha.

Tips

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

Stroke Order

zhā