TongTong
Sign in

夸奖 (kuā jiǎng) — to praise, to compliment

Definition

夸奖 is everyday 'praise' for a person's effort, behavior, or work. 表扬 is more formal, often for official recognition; 称赞 emphasizes verbal approval. Avoid 恭维, which means insincere flattery.

verb
to praiseto compliment

Examples

  • 夸奖。
    Dà jiā dōu kuā jiǎng tā gōng zuò rèn zhēn.
    Everyone praises him for his careful work.
  • ，夸奖。
    Tā zuò le hǎo shì, shòu dào le kuā jiǎng.
    He did a good deed and received praise.
  • 夸奖。
    Mā ma cháng cháng kuā jiǎng wǒ nǔ lì xué xí.
    Mom often praises me for studying hard.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

夸kuāpraise
奖jiǎngcommend

夸 and 奖 both point to speaking well of someone, so together they mean to praise.

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
大大dàman
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú夸kuā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

夸 is built from 大, a standing man, above 于, which gives the sound.

Open 夸 →

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 獎; 奖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
將
將jiāng獎jiǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 獎 pairs 將 as a sound part with 犬, a dog; the simplified 奖 is a later shorthand. The evidence says the dog part's meaning is unclear, perhaps referring to guiding a dog by voice.

Open 奖 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.