旱灾

旱災

hànzāi

noun HSK 7-9 #40,394

Meanings

1 drought disaster
2 drought-caused famine or damage

Characters

disaster; calamity

Literally 'drought disaster' — when a dry spell becomes destructive enough to be called a disaster.

Examples

旱灾导致了大面积的农作物减产。

Hànzāi dǎozhì le dàmiànjī de nóngzuòwù jiǎn chǎn.

The drought caused a large-scale reduction in crop yields.

政府积极应对旱灾。

Zhèngfǔ jījí yìngduì hànzāi.

The government actively responded to the drought.

Tips

usage

China has a long history of devastating droughts. The 灾 character family covers many natural disasters: 旱灾 (drought), 水灾 (flood), 火灾 (fire), 雪灾 (snowstorm), 震灾 (earthquake). All follow the same pattern: cause + 灾.

Stroke Order

旱 hàn

灾 zāi