澡

zǎo
noun #3,300

Meanings

  1. 1 bath; to bathe

Examples

HSK 2
Wǒ měitiān wǎnshang xǐzǎo.
I take a bath every evening.
HSK 3
Xiān xǐzǎo zài shuìjiào.
Take a bath first, then go to sleep.

Tips

usage
澡 is almost exclusively used in 洗澡 (xǐzǎo, to take a bath/shower). Also: 澡堂 (zǎotáng, bathhouse). Don't confuse 澡 (zǎo, bath) with 早 (zǎo, early).

Components

radical
氵 shuǐ
water radical
Left radical 氵 is the three-drop side-form of 水 (water). It marks 澡 as a water-action: bathing, washing the body all over. The water radical groups 澡 with the entire family of liquid-related chars - 河 (river), 海 (sea), 洗 (wash), 浴 (bathe) - 澡 sitting close to 浴 in the bathing/cleansing sub-family.
phonetic
喿 zào
chirping of birds
Right phonetic 喿 supplies the sound - zào shifted to zǎo through tone change only. 喿 itself depicts three 口 mouths above a 木 tree, picturing birds chirping in the branches. As phonetic in 澡 it gives the same vowel and consonant; same series produces 燥 (zào, dry), 噪 (zào, noisy), 躁 (zào, restless) - all sharing the zào rime.

Stroke Order

澡 zǎo