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卡通 (kǎ tōng) — cartoon (animated film or comic strip)

Definition

卡通 refers to the cartoon-style content itself — characters, art style, or merchandise — rather than the medium. 动画 is the animated film/show, while 漫画 is the printed comic format.

noun
cartoon (animated film or comic strip)
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • 卡通。
    Wǒ xiǎo shí hou zuì xǐ huan kàn rì běn kǎ tōng.
    When I was little, I liked watching Japanese cartoons the most.
  • 卡通，。
    Zhè fú huà de fēng gé hěn kǎ tōng, sè cǎi yě hěn xiān yàn.
    This painting has a very cartoonish style, and the colors are also bright.
  • 卡通。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de pǐn pái xíng xiàng shì yí gè kě ài de kǎ tōng rén wù.
    This company's brand image is a cute cartoon character.

Origin

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.

Open 卡 →

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

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.

Open 通 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Film & Theater

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