快艇 (kuài tǐng) — speedboat, motorboat | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

speedboatmotorboat

Measure word · 艘

Examples

快艇。
Tā mǎi le yì sōu kuài tǐng.
He bought a speedboat.
快艇。
Wǒ men zuò kuài tǐng qù dǎo shàng wán.
We took a speedboat to play on the island.
快艇，。
kuài tǐng De sù dù fēi cháng kuài, hěn cì jī.
The speedboat is extremely fast and very exciting.

Origin

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.

Fast and boat combine to mean a speedboat.

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.

忄夬快

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài快kuài

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, 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.

舟廷艇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

舟舟zhōuboat

Sound part声符shēngfú

廷

廷tíng艇tǐng

Same sound today

艇 pairs 舟, meaning boat, with 廷, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Boats & Water Travel

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