袈 (jiā): (in 袈裟) the patchwork robe of a…

Meanings

老和尚披着一件褪色的袈裟。

Lǎo héshang pī zhe yí jiàn tuìsè de jiāshā.

The old monk wore a faded saffron kasaya robe.

他穿上袈裟，走进禅堂。

Tā chuān shàng jiāshā, zǒujìn chántáng.

He put on the kasaya and entered the meditation hall.

usage

Bound form — 袈 occurs only in 袈裟, the monk's robe. The word transliterates the Sanskrit kasaya, originally meaning a 'muddy, off-color' dyed cloth.

radical

衣 yī

clothing

Bottom is the clothing radical 衣, marking the word as a kind of garment — here the monk's robe.

phonetic

加 jiā

to add; sound element

Top element 加 gives the reading jiā exactly — a clean phonetic chosen to transliterate the Sanskrit syllable.

袈 jiā