差
差 (chà) means “poor”. It is made of 羊 + 工 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 差 into its parts
What 差 is made of
- 羊 yáng — sheep
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
- 工 gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄 shàng — above
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: Work 工 done by a sheep 羊; incompetence (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
差 stroke order
Example sentences
他的汉语不差。Tā de Hànyǔ bù chà.His Chinese isn't bad.
现在差五分八点。Xiànzài chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn.It's five to eight now.
Words with 差
- 差不多chàbuduōalmost
- 出差chūchāito go on a business trip
- 差别chābiédifference
- 差距chājùgap
- 时差shíchātime difference
- 偏差piānchādeviation
- 误差wùchāerror
- 相差xiāngchàto differ
- 差点儿chàdiǎnralmost
Also built with 羊
- 养yǎngto raise (animals)
- 善shàngood
- 样yàngform
- 氧yǎngoxygen
- 洋yángsea
- 痒yǎngitchy
- 盖gàilid
- 着zheongoing-state particle
- 祥xiánghappiness
- 美měibeautiful
- 羞xiūshame
- 羡xiànto envy
Quick facts
| Pinyin | chà |
|---|---|
| Meaning | poor; not good; to be short of |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 工 (work, #48) |
| Pattern | Top-left wrap |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 3 |
Questions about 差
What does 差 mean?
差 (chà) means “poor; not good; to be short of”.
How many strokes does 差 have?
差 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 差?
The radical of 差 is 工 (gōng, “work”), Kangxi radical number 48.
What parts make up 差?
差 is made of 羊 (sheep) and 工 (labor).
Which HSK level is 差?
差 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Learn 差 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 42: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.