卡

kǎ
#716 most
frequent character
to block
verb
Measure words:张 zhāng,片 piàn

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

卡 kǎ first meant a government checkpoint for guards or taxes; its shape is unclear, though one scholar reads it as 'stuck in the middle'. From the checkpoint came 'to stop' and 'to get stuck'. The senses 'card' and 'calorie' were borrowed for their sound, with no link to the shape.

卡 as a component in other characters

sound3 characters
咔胩佧

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Example Sentences

他把球卡住了。
tā bǎ qiú kǎzhù le 。
He blocked the ball.
这个地方经常卡车。
zhègè dìfāng jīngcháng kǎchē 。
This place often blocks trucks.
我的手机卡住了。
wǒde shǒujī kǎzhù le 。
My phone is blocked.

Words with similar meanings

阻止zǔzhǐ
to prevent
More formal and implies preventing something from happening.
拦lán
to intercept
More specific to stopping movement or progress, often used in physical contexts.

Words Starting With 卡

卡车kǎ chē
truck
卡通kǎ tōng
cartoon

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