叉

4 readings · tap one to hear it

fork; pitchfork; prong; pick; cross; intersect; "X"

Sound it out + = · + = · + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A hand 又 grasping an object 丶

Components 又丶

fork · Heisig RSH #1883

crotch + a drop of

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
三叉神经	sān chā shén jīng	trigeminal nerve
交叉学科	jiāo chā xué kē	interdisciplinary; interdisciplinary subject (in science)
交叉火力	jiāo chā huǒ lì	crossfire
叉尾太阳鸟	chā wěi tài yáng niǎo	(bird species of China) fork-tailed sunbird (Aethopyga christinae)
日本叉尾海燕	Rì běn chā wěi hǎi yàn	(bird species of China) Matsudaira's storm petrel (Hydrobates matsudairae)
立体交叉	lì tǐ jiāo chā	three-dimensional road junction (i.e. involving flyover bridges or underpass tunnels); ove…
交叉运球	jiāo chā yùn qiú	crossover dribble (basketball)
开高叉	kāi gāo chā	slit dress
烟黑叉尾海燕	yān hēi chā wěi hǎi yàn	(bird species of China) Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus)
交叉阴影线	jiāo chā yīn yǐng xiàn	hatched lines; cross-hatched graphic pattern
交叉口	jiāo chā kǒu	(road) intersection
黑叉尾海燕	hēi chā wěi hǎi yàn	(bird species of China) Swinhoe's storm petrel (Hydrobates monorhis)
交叉点	jiāo chā diǎn	junction; crossroads; (geometry) point of intersection
前移式叉车	qián yí shì chā chē	reach truck
白腰叉尾海燕	bái yāo chā wěi hǎi yàn	(bird species of China) Leach's storm petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous)
交叉引用	jiāo chā yǐn yòng	cross-reference (in a document, index etc)
二叉树	èr chā shù	binary tree
交叉耐药性	jiāo chā nài yào xìng	cross-tolerance
叉子	chā zi	fork; CL:把[ba3]
叉头	chā tóu	prong of a fork

These characters use 叉 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
叉 sound part	chā	fork; prong; cross, intersect
蚤	zǎo	flea; louse
衩	chà	shorts, panties; a slit in a robe