CANTONESE ↔ ENGLISH · CC-CANTO

柴

Cantonese · source Jyutpingcaai4#

Cantonese · source Jyutpingzaai6#

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.

Full entryShow on map

Reading & tones

caai44 · low falling

zaai66 · low level

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

Same syllable, six tones

caai猜caai1to guess 踩caai2to step on 嘬caai3to eat ravenously 柴caai4firewoodcaai5—caai6—

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.

Explore words with this reading ↗

Written characters

柴

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:

柴 Chái CC-CEDICT · Mandarinsurname Chai
柴 chái CC-CEDICT · Mandarinfirewood; lean (of meat); thin (of a person)

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: chai2. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.

Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 15 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

caai4 · zaai6

Cantonese word readings for 柴. 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

firewood; brushwood
faggot; bundle of sticks bound together (as fuel)
(dialectal) bony; skinny
(dialectal, of food, particularly meat) tough and dry (as opposed to tender and succulent); stringy; hard to chew
(dialectal) no good; poor; inferior
(Min) wood; log; timber
(Min) slow and inarticulate; dull
(obsolete) to burn firewood and worship heaven
a surname

character · Etymology 1

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to fence; to surround and protect with fence (made of wood)
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to cover; to place something over
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to stop; to block; to obstruct
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 寨 (zhài, “defending fence”)
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 寨 (zhài, “villa”)

character · Etymology 2

(Hong Kong) chevron (insignia); stripe (Classifier: 條／条 c)

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

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