脚丫 (jiǎo yā) — (colloquial) foot

Definition

Colloquial, child-speak term for 'foot' — more casual and affectionate than the neutral 脚, often used for kids or cute small feet. Usually appears as 脚丫子.

noun
(colloquial) foot
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 脚丫。
    Wǒ de jiǎo yā yǒu diǎn téng.
    My foot hurts a bit.
  • 脚丫。
    Xiǎo hái zi xǐ huan guāng zhe jiǎo yā zài cǎo dì shàng pǎo.
    Children like to run barefoot on the grass.
  • 脚丫，。
    Tā de jiǎo yā hěn xiǎo, chuān sān shí sì hào de xié.
    Her feet are very small; she wears size 34 shoes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

脚jiǎofoot
丫yāforked toes

脚 names the foot and 丫 names its forked toes, and the two together give a colloquial word for the foot.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 丫 comes from a fork in a branch or path.

Open 丫 →

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