辣 (là) — spicy, hot (of food)
Definition
辣 (là) means 'spicy / hot' in the taste sense — chili-pepper heat that burns the mouth. 热 is temperature hot (weather, food); 烫 is dangerously hot to the touch.
adjective
spicyhot (of food)
Examples
- 辣，。Zhè ge cài tài là le, wǒ chī bù liǎo.This dish is too spicy, I can't eat it.
- 辣？Nǐ xǐ huan chī là de shí wù ma?Do you like eating spicy food?
- 辣。Sì chuān de là huǒ guō hěn yǒu míng.Sichuan's spicy hotpot is very famous.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
辣 is built from 辛, which carries the meaning, and 束, written in full as 剌, which carries the sound.
Appears in
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