衩 (chǎ): short undershorts

Meanings

天太热，他只穿一条裤衩。

Tiān tài rè, tā zhǐ chuān yītiáo kùchǎ.

He only wore a pair of underpants in the heat.

这条裤衩太紧了。

Zhè tiáo kùchǎ tài jǐn le.

These underpants are too tight.

usage

Almost always appears in the compound 裤衩 (underpants). On its own it is rarely used in modern speech.

radical

衤 yī

clothing

The clothing radical, a left-side form of 衣. It marks this as a garment word, here a kind of short undergarment.

phonetic

叉 chā

fork; cross

Supplies the sound, drifting from 叉 to chǎ. Its forked shape also faintly suits a garment that splits or opens at the leg.

衩 chǎ