胶

膠
jiāo
noun #5,229

Meanings

  1. 1 glue; adhesive
  2. 2 rubber; gum

Examples

HSK 6
Yòng jiāoshuǐ bǎ tā zhān shàng.
Glue it on with adhesive.
HSK 7-9
Zhè shuāng jiāoxié hěn nài chuān.
These rubber shoes are very durable.

Tips

usage
胶水 (glue), 橡胶 (rubber), 胶带 (tape) are common compounds.

Components

radical
⺼ ròu
flesh; body (radical)
Left radical written as 月 here is actually the flesh radical 肉 (also drawn ⺼) - visually identical to the moon character but semantically the body indicator. Marks 胶 as something derived from animal tissue: traditional Chinese glue was boiled down from hides and bones. Same radical anchors 肝 (liver), 肠 (intestines), 肌 (muscle), 腿 (leg).
phonetic
交 jiāo
to cross; join (phonetic)
Right phonetic 交 supplies the full sound jiāo with no drift. 交 itself depicts a person with crossed legs - 'to cross, to join'. The semantic flavour fits beautifully: glue is precisely what makes things join. Same phonetic appears in 校 (school), 较 (compare), 郊 (suburbs), 饺 (dumpling).

Stroke Order

胶 jiāo