恰

qià
adverb #11,685

Meanings

  1. 1 exactly
  2. 2 just
  3. 3 proper

Examples

HSK 1
Qiàhǎo wǒ yě zài.
As it happens, I was there too.
HSK 4
Shíjiān qiàdàohǎochù.
The timing was just right.

Tips

usage
Common in 恰好 (just right) and 恰当 (appropriate).

Components

radical
忄 xīn
heart (radical form of 心 on the left)
Left upright-heart radical (side form of 心) indexes 恰 in the mind/feeling family with 怕 fear, 情 feeling, 快 happy, 慢 slow. The original sense of 恰 was an inner feeling of fit - when something sits just right in one's mind, hence 'exactly, precisely, fittingly.'
phonetic
合 hé
to fit; close together
Right 合 supplies the sound - hé drifting to qià through regular palatalisation. 合 also adds a strong semantic flavour: closing, matching, fitting - exactly what 恰 carries forward. The heart + fitting gives 'feels right, just so' (恰好 just right, 恰当 appropriate, 恰巧 by coincidence).

Stroke Order

恰 qià