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March 24, 2026
佳jiā(Jia1)
The character 佳 (jiā) conveys the meaning of beauty, goodness, and excellence. It is often used to describe something that is fine or delightful, and can refer to both physical beauty and quality. In various contexts, it can also be part of names or phrases that denote auspiciousness.
Strokes8Radical亻Frequency#4388DifficultyHard
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the notion of beauty and quality is deeply appreciated, often reflected in arts, poetry, and even daily expressions like 佳节 (auspicious festival), which highlights the importance of celebrating good times.
Memory Tip
Imagine a beautiful jade (which sounds like 'jiā') glimmering in the sunlight, representing excellence and beauty. The character 佳 is composed of the radical for 'good' (好) which visually reinforces its meaning.
Meanings of 佳
jiā(Jia1)
1beautiful
2fine
Exercise 1 of 3
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 佳
佳Simplified
8Strokes
亻Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#4388Frequency Rank
Podcast: 佳
Podcast: 佳
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AI Study Notes for 佳
Quick Contrast
优秀 (yōu xiù) vs 佳 (jiā): use 佳 when emphasizing beauty or delightfulness, while 优秀 focuses on excellence or superiority in quality.
Usage Notes
佳 is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts, but it is particularly prevalent in written language and idiomatic expressions. Be cautious with tone pronunciation; the first tone must be maintained to avoid confusion with other characters. Common collocations include 佳品 (fine goods) and 佳音 (good news).
HSK Study Tips
Though 佳 is not a standard HSK word, it appears in HSK 3 and above vocabulary related to beauty and quality. Learners should focus on recognizing it in phrases and understanding its nuances in positive descriptions.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 佳 with similar characters like 加 (jiā, to add) or 夹 (jiā, to pinch), leading to incorrect meanings. Remember that 佳 specifically relates to beauty and quality.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 佳
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Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 圭 represents the sound.
1The meaning half亻 carries the sense.
2The sound half圭 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
3The giveawayperson
4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 佳? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1
Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 佳?
Decomposition of 佳
IDS Structure⿰亻圭
佳Full Character
=
亻ren2
left
圭gui1
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component of 佳?
How to say beautiful in Chinese
“beautiful” in Chinese is佳jiā
The character 佳 (jiā) conveys the meaning of beauty, goodness, and excellence. It is often used to describe something that is fine or delightful, and can refer to both physical beauty and quality. In various contexts, it can also be part of names or phrases that denote auspiciousness.
When to use 佳
佳 is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts, but it is particularly prevalent in written language and idiomatic expressions. Be cautious with tone pronunciation; the first tone must be maintained to avoid confusion with other characters. Common collocations include 佳品 (fine goods) and 佳音 (good news).
佳 or something close to it
优秀 (yōu xiù) vs 佳 (jiā): use 佳 when emphasizing beauty or delightfulness, while 优秀 focuses on excellence or superiority in quality.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 佳 with similar characters like 加 (jiā, to add) or 夹 (jiā, to pinch), leading to incorrect meanings. Remember that 佳 specifically relates to beauty and quality.
Write 佳
佳
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Grammar Patterns of 佳
佳 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 5 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
