澡

zǎo

喿 + 氵

Definitions

zǎo (verb,noun) bath; bathe

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 喿 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 喿

About

澡 is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical 氵 conveys its association with washing and cleansing, while 喿 (zào) provides the pronunciation. The character originally meant to wash or bathe the body. Historically, it could refer specifically to washing the hands before rituals that required physical and spiritual purity. In modern usage, it appears almost exclusively in the compound 洗澡 (xǐzǎo), meaning to take a bath or shower, having shifted from a specialized ritual term to an everyday word for personal hygiene.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我每天都要洗澡。

Wǒ měitiān dōu yào xǐzǎo.

I need to take a shower every day.

他晚上洗澡。

Tā wǎnshàng xǐzǎo.

He takes a shower in the evening.

她在浴室洗澡。

Tā zài yùshì xǐzǎo.

She is taking a shower in the bathroom.

运动后洗澡很舒服。

Yùndòng hòu xǐzǎo hěn shūfu.

Taking a shower after exercise is very comfortable.

孩子们喜欢一起泡澡。

Háizimen xǐhuan yīqǐ pàozǎo.

The children like to take a bath together.

我们决定去公共澡堂。

Wǒmen juédìng qù gōnggòng zǎotáng.

We decided to go to the public bathhouse.

他习惯用冷水洗澡来锻炼身体。

Tā xíguàn yòng lěngshuǐ xǐzǎo lái duànliàn shēntǐ.

He is accustomed to taking cold showers to build his body.

洗澡前请确保热水器的温度是合适的。

Xǐzǎo qián qǐng quèbào rèshuǐqì de wēndù shì héshì de.

Please make sure the water heater's temperature is appropriate before taking a shower.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 喿

Component: 氵

澡