蛙人 (wā rén) — frogman; scuba diver (especially military or professional)

Definition

A military or professional scuba diver ('frogman'). 蛙 (frog) + 人 (person) literally 'frog person'; used specifically for combat divers, not casual recreational diving.

noun
frogmanscuba diver (especially military or professional)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 蛙人。
    Nà ge wā rén zhèng zài shuǐ xià jìn xíng sōu suǒ rèn wu.
    That frogman is conducting a search mission underwater.
  • 蛙人。
    Jūn duì xùn liàn le yì pī yōu xiù de wā rén.
    The military trained a group of excellent frogmen.
  • 蛙人。
    wā rén Xū yào zhuān yè de qián shuǐ zhuāng bèi cái néng gōng zuò.
    Frogmen need professional diving equipment to work.

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.

蛙wāfrog
人rénperson

蛙 is frog and 人 is person; together they name a frogman or diver.

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
虫虫chónginsect; creature
Sound part声符shēngfú
圭
圭guī蛙wā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

蛙 is built from 虫 (creature) and 圭, which gives the sound clue.

Open 蛙 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.