指甲

zhǐjia
noun HSK 5 #3,723

Measure Word

指甲 piàn

Meanings

  1. 1 fingernail; toenail

Characters

The finger's 'armor' — fingernail.

Examples

Nǐ gāi jiǎn zhǐjia le.
You should cut your nails.
Tā tú le hóngsè de zhǐjiayóu.
She applied red nail polish.
Bié yǎo zhǐjia!
Don't bite your nails!

Tips

usage
指甲 covers both fingernails and toenails (脚趾 jiǎozhǐjia is the specific term for toenails). 指甲油 = nail polish. 指甲 = nail clipper.
culture
In ancient China, long fingernails (especially on the pinky) signaled wealth and status — proof that one didn't do manual labor. Some people still grow a long pinky nail today.

Stroke Order

zhǐ
jiǎ