借口
Old HSK 5
借口 (jièkǒu) · excuse
借口 (jièkǒu) means “excuse; pretext; to use as an excuse”. It is written with 2 characters: 借 (to borrow) + 口 (mouth). It is an old HSK 5 word (HSK 2.0).
How 借口 is built
The characters
借 jiè · to borrow
What 借 is made of
- 亻rén — person
- 昔xī — past
- 廿niàn — twenty
- 廾gǒng — two hands
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 日rì — sun; day
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 廿niàn — twenty
Origin hint: 亻 gives the meaning, 昔 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
口 kǒu · mouth
What 口 is made of
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: An open mouth (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
迟到了就别找借口了。Chídào le jiù bié zhǎo jièkǒu le.You're late, so don't make excuses.
他借口有事，提前走了。Tā jièkǒu yǒu shì, tíqián zǒu le.He made an excuse and left early.
Questions about 借口
What does 借口 mean?
借口 (jièkǒu) means “excuse; pretext; to use as an excuse”.
How do you pronounce 借口?
借口 is pronounced jièkǒu.
Which HSK level is 借口?
借口 is in Old HSK 5.
Related words
- 借鉴jièjiànto learn from
- 借助jièzhùwith the help of
- 借jièto borrow
- 路口lùkǒuintersection
- 门口ménkǒudoorway
- 出口chūkǒuexit
- 人口rénkǒupopulation
- 入口rùkǒuentrance
- 进口jìnkǒuto import
- 口袋kǒudàipocket
Learn 借口 with its group
It is part of Old HSK 5 · Group 51: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.