Writing
差 (chà) — how to say "to lack" in Chinese
差
To lack, to be inferior
adjective · verb
Radicals / Keys
工
Work
#48 · gōng · 3 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
差得远
chà de yuǎn
far from it
差五分
chà wǔ fēn
five minutes short
Examples
这幅画的颜色和原图差得很多，需要调整。
The colors of this painting are very different from the original, they need to be adjusted.
我还差十块钱。
I'm still short ten yuan.
Mnemonic
[chà-] Charlie the Chimp is at a talent show, trying to impress the judges with his act. He flips a card that reads 差 "LACKING" with a disappointed frown 😖. Despite juggling three bananas, he forgets the last trick and the judges see him as 差, not quite up to the mark.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "to lack" in Chinese?
"to lack" in Chinese is 差 (chà).
差 meaning in English
差 (chà) means "To lack, to be inferior".
How is 差 pronounced?
It is pronounced chà (written as cha). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to lack" in Chinese characters?
It is written 差 and has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 差?
差 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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