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察觉 (chá jué) — to sense, to perceive, to detect (become aware of through observation or intuition)

Definition

察觉 means to sense or notice something subtle — a feeling, a glance, a signal — that wasn't obvious. More about intuition and perception than 知道 (knowing a fact) or 发现 (actively finding/spotting).

verb
to senseto perceiveto detect (become aware of through observation or intuition)

Examples

  • 察觉。
    Tā chá jué dào yǒu rén zài kàn tā.
    He sensed that someone was watching him.
  • 察觉。
    Wǒ chá jué chū tā jīn tiān bú tài gāo xìng.
    I detected that she wasn't very happy today.
  • 察觉。
    Kē xué jiā chá jué dào le yì zhǒng xīn de xìn hào.
    The scientists detected a new kind of signal.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

察cháexamine
觉juéfeel

察 (examine) and 觉 (feel) together mean notice or detect.

Characters in this word

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
祭
祭jì察chá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 察 combines 宀, a roof, with 祭 as the sound part.

Open 察 →

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 覺; 觉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
𦥯
𦥯𦥯覺jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 覺 pairs 見, a part that means see, with 𦥯, a part that gives the sound; simplified 觉 is a later abbreviation.

Open 觉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Senses

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.