CANTONESE ↔ ENGLISH · CC-CANTO

叉

Cantonese · source Jyutpingcaa1#

(verb) 1. skewer; 2. stab; (verb) to choke someone's neck with hand

Cantonese · source Jyutpingcaa1#

About these definitions

Source definition segments, in their original order. Characters a definition cites are shown without their Mandarin pinyin; classifier lists that CC-Canto copied from CC-CEDICT are marked Mandarin. The community dictionary is not independently verified by zimai.

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Reading & tones

caa11 · high level

Schematic citation-tone diagrams from the source numbers. These are not recordings or predictions of connected speech.

Same syllable, six tones

caa差caa1to differ from 镲caa2岔caa3fork in road 碴caa4fault 蹅caa5caa6—

Characters whose customary Unihan reading (kCantonese) is this syllable in each tone, chosen as in the tone atlas (2013 standard level, then the number of CC-CEDICT words they form), with CC-Canto 2017's meaning for that reading; a dash means no catalogue character has that reading. Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k) normally carry tones 1, 3 and 6. Character readings, not word readings; no frequency implied.

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Written characters

叉

Both source spellings are represented. Written membership is not an etymological or semantic claim.

Cantonese characters and the Mandarin bridge ↗

Mandarin comparison · separate source entries

CC-CEDICT, the Mandarin–English dictionary, lists the same written form:

叉 chā CC-CEDICT · Mandarinfork; pitchfork; prong; pick; cross; intersect; "X"
叉 chá CC-CEDICT · Mandarinto cross; be stuck
叉 chǎ CC-CEDICT · Mandarinto diverge; to open (as legs)

A separate source entry, shown for comparison. The same characters can carry different senses in Mandarin and in Cantonese; zimai does not align these senses.

CC-Canto includes this pinyin reference: cha1. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.

Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 18 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

caa1

Cantonese word readings for 叉. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

fork (pronged tool, including the eating utensil)
to use a fork; to pick up with a fork
(Wu) to pick up food with chopsticks
to cross; to intersect; to interlace
cross; X
Phonetic reading of × when used to replace offensive characters.
(chiefly Cantonese, euphemistic) A generic intensifier which can be substituted for any profane intensifier.
(Cantonese) short for 叉燒／叉烧 (“char siu”)
(Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) to pinch
(Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) to speak rudely
(Wu) to play (mahjong)
(Xiang, of ducks and geese) to eat

character · Etymology 1

(Northeastern Mandarin) to block up; to jam

character · Etymology 1

to spread; to open; to fork; to separate
(Wu) to push something away; to move something away

character · Etymology 1

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 杈 (chà, “fork of a branch”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 岔 (chà, “diverge, branch off; fork in the road”)

character · Etymology 2

(Cantonese) to charge; to recharge

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack