针 (zhēn): needle; pin

Measure Word

一根针 gēn

Meanings

1 needle; pin
2 injection; shot
3 stitch

Characters

针

zhēn

needle; injection

钅 (metal) + 十 (ten) — a thin metal point.

Examples

我需要一根针来缝衣服。

Wǒ xūyào yī gēn zhēn lái féng yīfu.

I need a needle to sew clothes.

医生给他打了一针。

Yīshēng gěi tā dǎ le yī zhēn.

The doctor gave him an injection.

这根针太细了。

Zhè gēn zhēn tài xì le.

This needle is too thin.

Tips

usage

打针 = to give or get an injection. 针灸 = acupuncture. 针 is also a measure word for injections: 打了三针 (got three shots).

culture

针灸 (acupuncture) is one of the pillars of traditional Chinese medicine, using thin needles at specific body points to treat various conditions.

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal; gold (left-side form of 金)

Metal radical on the left — the side-form of 金. Indexes 针 in the metalwork family alongside 银 silver, 钢 steel, 铁 iron, 钉 nail, 钩 hook. A needle is a thin shaft of metal, so the radical does the heavy semantic lifting here.

semantic

十 shí

ten; vertical-and-cross shape

Right side is 十, simplified from the older 鍼 / 針 phonetic 咸 in the 1956 reform. The cross-shape graphically suggests the slim, straight body of a needle with a head at top. Functions as a visual mnemonic rather than a true phonetic — shí does not give the sound zhēn.