指甲

zhǐjia
noun HSK 5 #3,723

Measure Word

指甲 piàn

Meanings

  1. 1 fingernail; toenail

Characters

The finger's 'armor' - fingernail.

Examples

HSK 5
Nǐ gāi jiǎn zhǐjia le.
You should cut your nails.
HSK 5
Bié yǎo zhǐjia!
Don't bite your nails!
HSK 7-9
Tā tú le hóngsè de zhǐjiayóu.
She applied red nail polish.

Tips

usage
指甲 covers both fingernails and toenails (脚趾甲 jiǎozhǐjia is the specific term for toenails). 指甲油 = nail polish. 指甲刀 = nail clipper.
culture
In ancient China, long fingernails (especially on the pinky) signaled wealth and status - proof that one didn't do manual labor. Some people still grow a long pinky nail today.

Stroke Order

zhǐ
jiǎ