切

qiē
HSK 5
#337 most
frequent character
to cut, to slice, tangent (math)
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

切 shows a knife 刀 and something already cut 七; together they give 'cutting with a knife'. 七 qī also matches the start of the sound. Read qiē, it also means 'to slice'; read qiè, it grew to 'near' and then 'exact'.

Drawn as: something severed; a knife

切 as a component in other characters

sound4 characters
彻窃砌沏

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Example Sentences

我需要切一些蔬菜来做晚饭。
wǒ xūyào qiē yīxiē shūcài lái zuò wǎnfàn 。
I need to cut some vegetables to make dinner.
老师让我切这个纸片。
lǎoshī ràng wǒ qiē zhègè zhǐ piàn 。
The teacher asked me to cut this piece of paper.
他小心地切着肉，不想切到手。
tā xiǎoxīn dì qiē zháo ròu ， bùxiǎng qiē dào shǒu 。
He is carefully cutting the meat, not wanting to cut his hand.

Same Characters, Different Readings

切qiè
definitely, absolutely (not)

Words with similar meanings

割gē
to sever
This term often refers to cutting in a more forceful manner or in a context such as harvesting crops.
切割qiēgē
to slice
This is a more technical term that can imply a more precise or systematic cutting action.

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Public Lists with 切

Food (General)
Broad food-related words, general cuisine terms, eating habits.
Fruits & Vegetables
Common produce found in markets and daily meals.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test
Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
Cooking Methods & Tools
Stir-fry, boil, steam, wok, pot, utensils, and other kitchen vocabulary.