载 (zài) · to carry; to convey

Meanings

1 to carry; to convey
2 to load; to hold
3 and; as well as; simultaneously

Characters

载

zài

to carry; to convey

Examples

HSK 7-9

这辆卡车能载十吨货物。

Zhè liàng kǎchē néng zài shí dūn huòwù.

This truck can carry ten tons of cargo.

HSK 7-9

人们载歌载舞，庆祝丰收。

Rénmen zàigēzàiwǔ, qìngzhù fēngshōu.

Singing and dancing, the crowd celebrated the harvest.

HSK 7-9

船超载了，不能出航。

Chuán chāozài le, bùnéng chūháng.

The ship was overloaded and could not sail.

Tips

usage

Use zài for physical loading and carrying: 装载 (to load), 载客 (to carry passengers), 载重 (load capacity), 超载 (overload), 车载 (vehicle-mounted), 搭载 (to carry / be equipped with). For written records and the literary 'year' sense, switch to zǎi.

memory

Both readings hang on the cart radical 车. Picture a single cart with two jobs: physically hauling cargo (zài) versus carrying the inscribed history of a journey (zǎi). When the cart literally bears weight, say zài; when it bears a written record, say zǎi.

Components

radical

车 chē

vehicle; cart

Inner cart radical (Kangxi #159, simplified from 車). Anchors the meaning: the zài reading is to load onto or carry by vehicle (装载 to load, 载客 to carry passengers); the zǎi reading extended from carting goods to entering an event into the records. Same radical groups 辆, 转, 轮.

phonetic

哉 zāi

(literary exclamation; phonetic frame)

Outer wrapping 哉 in a contracted 6-stroke form - the standalone 哉 has 9 strokes (with an extra 口 mouth in the lower-left), but in 载 the 口 is dropped and the halberd-like frame embraces 车 directly. Provides the sound zāi/zǎi/zài. Same phonetic family as 栽 (to plant) and 裁 (to cut, to decide).