掐
qiā
HSK 6
#3,487 most
frequent character
to pick (flowers), to pinch
verb
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
掐 pairs 扌 hand with 臽 xiàn, a sound part whose link is not clear today. The hand part points to pinching, and the first sense was 'to pinch with fingernails'. That widened to 'pinch', then 'strangle, choke', and slang 'to fight'.
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Example Sentences
他用力掐了那朵花。
tā yònglì qiā le nà duǒ huā 。
He pinched that flower hard.
小孩子们在公园里掐了几朵漂亮的花。
xiǎoháizǐ mén zài gōngyuán lǐ qiā le jī duǒ piàoliàng de huā 。
The kids picked a few beautiful flowers in the park.
他们昨天晚上在街上掐了一架。
tāmen zuótiānwǎnshàng zài jiēshàng qiā le yījià 。
They had a fight on the street last night.
Words with similar meanings
捏niē
to squeeze
This word is often used to describe the action of applying pressure to something with fingers, similar to pinching, but can emphasize a gentler or different aspect of the action.
抓zhuā
to grab
While '掐' implies a more precise or delicate action, '抓' suggests a more forceful or rough grip.
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