错字 (cuò zì) — wrongly written character; misprint, typographical error

Definition

A wrongly written Chinese character (shape/structure error), distinct from 别字 (using the wrong character for a sound) and 病句 (a grammatical error in a full sentence). Used in writing, editing, and proofreading contexts.

noun
wrongly written charactermisprinttypographical error
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 错字。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng lǐ yǒu hǎo jǐ gè cuò zì.
    There are several wrongly written characters in this article.
  • 错字。
    Jiào duì de lǎo shī gǎi le hěn duō cuò zì.
    The proofreading teacher corrected many misprints.
  • 错字。
    Nǐ de zuò wén yào duō zhù yì cuò zì wèn tí.
    You need to pay more attention to the problem of wrong characters in your essay.

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.

错cuòwrong
字zìcharacter

错 (wrong) with 字 (character) names a wrongly written character.

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.

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.

Open 错 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
子
子zǐ字zì
Same sound today

字 pairs 宀 (roof) with 子 (child); 子 gives the sound, while 宀 relates to the meaning.

Open 字 →

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