照

zhào
#443 most
frequent character
reflect
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

照 uses 昭 zhāo, bright or light, which also marks the sound, plus 灬 fire. Fire and light give the first sense, to shine on. From shining came reflect, compare, according to, face toward, and take care of.

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Example Sentences

她的衣服在水中照得很清楚。
tāde yīfú zài shuǐzhōng zhào déhěn qīngchǔ 。
Her clothes are clearly reflected in the water.
镜子里我可以照到我的脸。
jìngzǐ lǐ wǒ kěyǐ zhàodào wǒde liǎn 。
I can see my face reflected in the mirror.
阳光照在水面上，让它看起来很漂亮。
yángguāng zhàozài shuǐmiànshàng ， ràng tā kànqǐlái hěn piàoliàng 。
The sunlight reflects on the water surface, making it look very beautiful.

Same Characters, Different Readings

照zhào
reflect

Words with similar meanings

映yìng
to reflect
This synonym is often used in poetic or literary contexts, conveying a more artistic sense of reflection.
反射fǎnshè
to reflect
This term is more technical, often used in scientific contexts, referring specifically to the physical phenomenon of reflection.

Homophones

赵zhào
to surpass (old)
召zhào
to call together, to summon
罩zhào
to cover, to spread over, a cover

Words Starting With 照

照片zhào piàn
"photo; photograph; picture
照相机zhào xiàng jī
"camera
照顾zhào gu
to take care of; to show consideration; to attend to; to look after
照常zhào cháng
(business etc) as usual
照应zhào yìng
to correlate with; to correspond to

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