Definitions

zhà (verb) to explode; to burst; to blow up
zhá (verb) to deep fry

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

The character is a phono-semantic compound: the 'fire' radical (huǒ) on the left means the character relates to intense heat or flames, and the phonetic component (zhà) on the right gives the sound. The character has two distinct pronunciations and meanings, both rooted in this idea of heat. When read as zhà (fourth tone), it denotes an explosion or burst, a sudden, violent release of energy often caused by fire or high temperature. When read as zhá (second tone), it refers to deep-frying, where food is immersed in boiling oil and rapidly cooked by intense heat, creating a crispy texture.

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈了薯条。

Māmā zhá le shǔ tiáo.

Mom fried French fries.

弹爆了。

Zhà dàn bào zhà le.

The bomb exploded.

气球开了。

Qìqiú zhà kāi le.

The balloon burst open.

他们正在鱼。

Tāmen zhèngzài zhá yú.

They are frying fish.

食品不健康。

Yóu zhá shípǐn bù jiànkāng.

Fried food is not healthy.

那个工厂被毁了。

Nàge gōngchǎng bèi zhà huǐ le.

That factory was blown up.

声吓坏了小孩。

Bàozhà shēng xià huài le xiǎo hái.

The sound of explosion scared the child.

恐怖分子试图掉大桥。

Kǒngbù fènzǐ shìtú zhà diào dà qiáo.

The terrorists attempted to blow up the bridge.