Dictionary › 吱

吱

zhī

Character

What 吱 means

1. onomatopoeiacreaking or groaning

Other readings

吱 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• zīchirp; squeak; creak

Example sentences

• 这节楼梯吱吱响。
  These stairs are creaky.
• 他一下子就不吱声了。
  He went quiet suddenly.
• 老鸟啁啾，小鸟吱吱叫。
  Lǎoniǎo zhōujiū, xiǎoniǎo zhī zhī jiào.
  Old birds sing, young birds twitter.
• 刮风的时候，老橡树的叶子会沙沙作响，树枝会发出嘎吱声。
  When it's windy, the leaves of the old oak rustle and its branches creak.

Words starting with 吱

• 吱声zhī shēngto utter a word; to make a sound; to cheep
• 吱呀zhī yā(onomatopoeia) creaking
• 吱吱声zī zī shēngsqueak
• 吱嘎zhī gā(onomatopoeia) creak; crunch
• 吱嘎声zhī gā shēng(linguistics) creaky voice; vocal fry
• 吱吱嘎嘎zī zī gā gā(onomatopoeia) creaking and grating

Words containing 吱

• 咯吱gē zhī(onomatopoeia) creak; groan
• 嘎吱gā zhī(onomatopoeia) creak; crunch

Characters built on 支

These share the phonetic component 支 (zhī), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 技jìskill
• 歧qídivergent; side road
• 妓jìprostitute
• 枝zhībranch; classifier for sticks, rods, pencils etc
• 肢zhīlimb
• 翅chì(bound form) wing (of a bird or insect)
• 伎jìartistry; talent; skill
• 岐Qísurname Qi; also used in place names

Characters that look like 吱

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 吃chīto eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy
• 吸xīto breathe; to suck in; to absorb
• 吹chuīto blow; to play a wind instrument; to blast
• 吨dūnton (loanword); Taiwan pr. dùn
• 哎āihey!; (interjection used to attract attention or to express surprise or disapprobation)
• 岐Qísurname Qi; also used in place names

Sounds the same

Read zhī, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 之(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的; him; her
• 知to know; to be aware
• 支to support; to sustain; to erect
• 汁juice
• 织to weave; to knit
• 脂fat; rouge (cosmetics); resin
• 枝branch; classifier for sticks, rods, pencils etc
• 肢limb
• 芝Zoysia pungens
• 氏used in 月氏; used in 阏氏
• 祗respectful (ly)
• 只grain that has begun to ripen