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错 (cuò) — wrong, incorrect

Definition

错 (cuò) is the everyday adjective 'wrong' — used directly before a noun or as a predicate (e.g., 错了). 错误 is the more formal written/noun form (HSK4); use 错 in speech.

adjective
wrongincorrect
Easily confused

Examples

  • 错。
    Nǐ de míng zì cuò le.
    Your name is wrong.
  • 错。
    Nǐ shuō cuò le.
    You said it wrong.
  • 错。
    Wǒ xiě cuò le.
    I wrote it wrong.

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 錯; 错 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī錯cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錯 pairs 金 (metal) with 昔 as a sound part; the simplified 错 is a later abbreviation.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsGood & Bad2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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