刮

颳

guā

刂 + 舌

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

guā (verb) to scrape; to shave

guā (verb) to blow (of wind)

guā (verb) to extort; to plunder

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 𠯑 represents the sound.

Semantic: 刂 Phonetic: 舌

About

The character 刮 is structured as a phono-semantic compound: the right-side radical 刂 (dāo), meaning 'knife' or cutting tool, indicates the semantic category, while the left-side component 𠯑 (guā) provides the pronunciation. It describes the act of scraping, shaving, or paring away a surface layer with a sharp instrument or blade. By extension from this sweeping, abrasive motion, it is also used for the forceful blowing of the wind across a landscape, as if heavy gales or storms were an invisible blade scraping violently against the earth's surface or an object.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今天刮风了。

Jīntiān guā fēng le.

Today, the wind is blowing.

爸爸在刮胡子。

Bàba zài guā húzi.

Dad is shaving.

她用勺子刮蛋糕。

Tā yòng sháozi guā dàngāo.

She uses a spoon to scrape the cake.

刮大风时别出门。

Guā dà fēng shí bié chūmén.

Don't go out when it's windy.

我刮掉了鞋底的泥。

Wǒ guā diàole xiédǐ de ní.

I scraped off the mud from the sole of my shoe.

画家用刀刮画布调整颜色。

Huàjiā yòng dāo guā huàbù tiáozhěng yánsè.

The painter uses a knife to scrape the canvas to adjust the color.

台风刮倒了路边的许多树。

Táifēng guā dǎole lùbiān de xǔduō shù.

The typhoon blew down many trees by the road.

在清理车库时，他刮掉了门上生锈的漆。

Zài qīnglǐ chēkù shí, tā guā diàole mén shàng shēngxiù de qī.

While cleaning the garage, he scraped off the rusty paint on the door.

Related Characters

Component: 刂

Component: 舌

刮