(shā) — shark (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 鲨鱼)

Definition

bound form
shark (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 鲨鱼)

Examples

  • shā Shì yì zhǒng gǔ lǎo de hǎi yáng dòng wù.
    Sharks are an ancient type of marine animal.
  • Zhè zhǒng shā shēng huó zài shēn hǎi.
    This kind of shark lives in the deep sea.
  • shā De yá chǐ fēi cháng fēng lì.
    Sharks' teeth are very sharp.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 鯊; 鲨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
fish
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

The traditional form 鯊 shows 魚 (fish) and 沙 (shā) for the sound; the simplified 鲨 is a later shorthand.

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