卡通画 (kǎ tōng huà) — cartoon drawing; cartoon picture

Definition

noun

cartoon drawingcartoon picture

Measure word · 幅

卡通画。
Wǒ xǐ huan huà kǎ tōng huà.
I like to draw cartoons.
卡通画。
Zhè zhāng kǎ tōng huà hěn kě ài.
This cartoon is very cute.
卡通画。
Hái zi dōu ài kàn kǎ tōng huà shū.
Children all love to read cartoon books.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

卡通cartoon

“卡通” (cartoon) specifies “画” (drawing), meaning a cartoon picture.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

卡 is made from 上 (up) and 下 (down), with their horizontal lines fused, showing something squeezed between above and below.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

辶甬通

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng通tōng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùbrush

Sound part声符shēngfú

規

規guī畫huà

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.