zǎo
noun #3,300

Meanings

  1. 1 bath; to bathe

Examples

Wǒ měitiān wǎnshang xǐzǎo.
I take a bath every evening.
Xiān xǐzǎo zài shuìjiào.
Take a bath first, then go to sleep.

Tips

usage
is almost exclusively used in 洗澡 (xǐzǎo, to take a bath/shower). Also: 澡堂 (zǎotáng, bathhouse). Don't confuse (zǎo, bath) with (zǎo, early).

Components

radical
shuǐ
water radical
Left radical is the three-drop side-form of (water). It marks as a water-action: bathing, washing the body all over. The water radical groups with the entire family of liquid-related chars — (river), (sea), (wash), (bathe) — sitting close to in the bathing/cleansing sub-family.
phonetic
zào
chirping of birds
Right phonetic supplies the sound — zào shifted to zǎo through tone change only. itself depicts three mouths above a tree, picturing birds chirping in the branches. As phonetic in it gives the same vowel and consonant; same series produces (zào, dry), (zào, noisy), (zào, restless) — all sharing the zào rime.

Stroke Order

zǎo