茄

jiā, qié

加 + 艹

Definitions

qié (noun) eggplant

jiā (particle) phonetic character used in loanwords

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 加 represents the sound.

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 加

About

茄 is a phono-semantic compound: the grass radical 艹 on top indicates a plant, while 加 below gives the sound. Its main reading qié is the everyday word for eggplant (aubergine). The less common reading jiā appears phonetically in loanwords such as 雪茄 (xuějiā, 'cigar'), and historically it meant the stem of the lotus plant. The character is a typical fusion of semantic and phonetic components; its modern sense comes from the plant radical, with no pictographic origin.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我爱吃茄子。

Wǒ ài chī qiézi.

I love to eat eggplant.

妈妈买了两个番茄。

Māmā mǎi le liǎng gè fānqié.

Mom bought two tomatoes.

今天晚餐有红烧茄子。

Jīntiān wǎncān yǒu hóngshāo qiézi.

There is braised eggplant for dinner tonight.

番茄炒蛋是一道家常菜。

Fānqié chǎo dàn shì yī dào jiācháng cài.

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes is a home-style dish.

这种茄子品种来自日本。

Zhè zhǒng qiézi pǐnzhǒng láizì Rìběn.

This variety of eggplant comes from Japan.

他正在大棚里采摘茄子。

Tā zhèngzài dàpéng lǐ cǎizhāi qiézi.

He is picking eggplants in the greenhouse.

茄子富含多种维生素和纤维。

Qiézi fùhán duō zhǒng wéishēngsù hé xiānwéi.

Eggplants are rich in various vitamins and fiber.

根据研究，番茄红素有益健康。

Gēnjù yánjiū, fānqié hóngsù yǒuyì jiànkāng.

According to research, lycopene is beneficial to health.

Related Characters

Component: 加

Component: 艹

茄