塔

墖

tǎ

土 + 荅

HSK 2.0Level 6

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

tǎ (noun) pagoda; tower

tǎ (noun) minaret; stupa

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 荅 represents the sound.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 荅

About

塔 was coined to translate Buddhist concepts into Chinese, serving as a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word stupa, a mound-like reliquary. The character combines the semantic component 土 "earth" (the original building material) with the phonetic component 荅. It refers to a pagoda or tall tower, reflecting the adaptation of the Indian stupa into a multi-story Chinese design, and now broadly denotes any tower, religious or otherwise.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我看见一座塔。

Wǒ kànjiàn yī zuò tǎ.

I see a tower.

这座塔很高。

Zhè zuò tǎ hěn gāo.

This tower is very tall.

公园里有一座塔。

Gōngyuán lǐ yǒu yī zuò tǎ.

There is a tower in the park.

灯塔在晚上发光。

Dēngtǎ zài wǎnshang fāguāng.

The lighthouse shines at night.

我们从塔上看到了全景。

Wǒmen cóng tǎ shàng kàndào le quánjǐng.

We saw the full view from the tower.

电视塔是城市的标志。

Diànshì tǎ shì chéngshì de biāozhì.

The TV tower is a symbol of the city.

建造这座塔用了三年时间。

Jiànzào zhè zuò tǎ yòngle sān nián shíjiān.

It took three years to build this tower.

古老的宝塔吸引了许多游客。

Gǔlǎo de bǎotǎ xīyǐnle xǔduō yóukè.

The ancient pagoda attracts many tourists.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 荅

塔