加 (jiā): to add

Meanings

1 to add
2 to increase
3 plus

Characters

加

jiā

to add; to increase

Examples

HSK 2

一加一等于二。

Yī jiā yī děngyú èr.

One plus one equals two.

HSK 3

你要加糖吗？

Nǐ yào jiā táng ma?

Do you want to add sugar?

HSK 4

请加我的微信。

Qǐng jiā wǒ de Wēixìn.

Please add me on WeChat.

Tips

culture

加微信 (add on WeChat) is the modern Chinese equivalent of exchanging phone numbers.

Components

radical

力 lì

strength; force

Left indexing radical 力 (a flexed arm or plough). Provides the 'effort, exertion' meaning - adding something requires force. Same radical groups action characters: 助 (help), 努 (strive), 功 (achievement), 劳 (labour). Here it pairs with 口 to form a compound ideograph.

semantic

口 kǒu

mouth

Right side 口 (mouth). Compound ideograph: strength + mouth = 'piling on' through speech, exaggeration, or boasting - adding words to amplify an effort. From there generalised to mathematical 'add' (加 = plus). Pairs with the strength radical to give the original 'speak with force' picture.