错 (cuò): wrong

Meanings

1 wrong
2 mistaken
3 error

Characters

错

cuò

wrong; mistake; error

钅 (metal) + 昔 (past) — a metallic echo of the past gone wrong.

Examples

你说错了。

Nǐ shuō cuò le.

You said it wrong.

对不起，我错了。

Duìbuqǐ, wǒ cuò le.

Sorry, I was wrong.

这道题我做错了。

Zhè dào tí wǒ zuò cuò le.

I got this question wrong.

Tips

usage

不错 literally means 'not wrong' but is commonly used to mean 'not bad; pretty good.' It's a very common way to express approval.

grammar

错 is often used as a result complement after verbs: 写错 (write wrongly), 听错 (hear wrongly), 看错 (see wrongly), 买错 (buy the wrong thing).

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal (radical, left-side form of 金)

Left metal radical — the simplified side-form of 金. Originally 错 meant 'inlaid metal' or 'gilding' (the sense survives in 错金 'gold inlay'), so the radical preserves that craft origin. Modern usage shifted to 'wrong,' but the radical still ties it to 银 silver, 铁 iron, 钢 steel.

phonetic

昔 xī

former times (phonetic)

Right side 昔 supplies the sound — xī drifted to cuò in modern Mandarin, but Old Chinese readings were closer, fitting the same phonetic family that gives 借 to borrow, 措 to arrange, 醋 vinegar. Pure phonetic role; the 'past times' meaning of 昔 is incidental.