算 (suàn): to count; to calculate

Meanings

1 to count; to calculate
2 to regard as; to count as

Characters

算

suàn

calculate; count; regard as

Contains ⺮ (bamboo radical) — counting with bamboo rods (early abacus).

Examples

你算一下多少钱。

Nǐ suàn yíxià duōshao qián.

Calculate how much it costs.

这不算贵。

Zhè bú suàn guì.

This is not considered expensive.

算了，不去了。

Suàn le, bú qù le.

Forget it, I'm not going.

Tips

usage

算了 (suàn le) is one of the most useful phrases — it means "forget it" or "never mind." You use it when giving up or dropping a matter: 算了算了，不说了 (Forget it, I won't say anymore).

Components

radical

⺮ zhú

bamboo (cap radical form)

Top bamboo radical (⺮, the cap-position form of 竹) — the indexing radical. Anchors 算 in the counting/document family: ancient Chinese counted using bamboo rods or abacus pieces, and recorded numbers on bamboo strips. Same radical caps 等, 笑, 答, 节, 第, 笔.

semantic

目 mù

eye

Middle 目 'eye' — depicting the eye watching the bamboo counting rods. Together with ⺮ on top and 廾 'two hands' below, the whole ideograph shows an attentive accountant: eye fixed on the abacus, hands manipulating it under the bamboo strips.

semantic

廾 gǒng

two hands cupped

Bottom 廾 'two hands cupped' — depicts hands manipulating the counting rods. Completes the trio: bamboo above, eye watching, hands counting. A rare three-component compound ideograph that gives a full picture of the calculation process.