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角质 (jiǎo zhì) — (noun) keratin; horny substance (protein forming hair, nails, horns, and outer skin layer)

Definition

角质 (jiǎozhì) is the technical/scientific word for keratin — the protein in hair, nails, and the outer skin layer. In everyday speech you'll just hear 指甲 for nails; 角质 is the term used in biology and skincare product descriptions.

noun
keratinhorny substance (protein forming hair, nails, horns, and outer skin layer)

Examples

  • 角质。
    Zhè zhǒng hù fū pǐn kě yǐ qù chú pí fū biǎo miàn de jiǎo zhì.
    This skincare product can remove keratin from the skin's surface.
  • 角质。
    Zhǐ jia hé tóu fa de zhǔ yào chéng fèn shì jiǎo zhì.
    The main component of nails and hair is keratin.
  • 角质。
    jiǎo zhì Céng tài hòu huì ràng pí fū kàn qǐ lái àn chén.
    If the stratum corneum is too thick, it can make the skin look dull.

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.

角jiǎohorn
质zhìsubstance

The 质 substance resembles 角 horn, as in hair and nails.

Characters in this word

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 質; 质 is its simplified writing.

  • 斦斦yín
  • 貝貝bèi

The traditional form 質 is made up of 貝 and 斦; this describes 質, not the simplified 质.

Open 质 →
Appears in
BiologyBody Parts

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