HSK by Foorsa
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在 zài — to be at, to be in, to exist, to be present; at, in, on (before a place); (before a verb) the progressive marker

zài (fourth tone, falling)

to be at, to be in, to exist, to be present; at, in, on (before a place); (before a verb) the progressive marker

6 strokesRadical 土Frequency #8
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Pinyin

  • zài (fourth tone, falling)

to be at, to be in, to exist, to be present; at, in, on (before a place); (before a verb) the progressive marker

Character breakdown

Ideographic description

⿸𠂇土The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.

  • 𠂇sound partno entry yetWhat is left of 才 cái, a sprout breaking the surface, which gave the character its sound.
  • 土meaning partno entry yetThe earth: to be somewhere is to be on the ground at a place.

Mnemonic

A sprout above the earth 土 — something present on the ground. Three jobs, and they are the backbone of elementary Chinese. A verb: 他在家, he is at home. A preposition of place, which comes before the verb: 我在图书馆看书 — never after it. And a marker of an action in progress: 他在打电话, he is on the phone.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.

Words containing 在

Radical 土 — other characters