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櫛 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
櫛zhìcomb; to comb out, to eliminate, to weed outx, 17 strokes, radical 木
zhì(zhi4) T4
  1. 1comb; to comb out, to eliminate, to weed out
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

櫛zhì(zhi4)

The character 櫛 (zhì) refers primarily to a 'comb,' a tool used to untangle hair. It can also mean 'to comb out' or 'to eliminate' in a broader context, often implying a meticulous process of sorting or weeding out unwanted elements.

Strokes17Radical木
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, grooming and personal appearance have significant social implications, and the comb is often associated with grace and elegance in practices like hair styling.

Memory Tip

Imagine a comb (櫛) with sharp teeth resembling a set of parallel lines that 'cut through' tangles. The pronunciation 'zhì' sounds like 'zh' in 'zhigzag,' which you can visualize as the comb zipping through hair.

Meanings of 櫛

zhì(zhi4)
1comb; to comb out, to eliminate, to weed out
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 櫛

櫛Simplified
17Strokes
木Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 櫛

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Podcast: 櫛

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 櫛

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone, as using the wrong tone can lead to confusion with similar-sounding words. This character is more formal and might not be used in everyday casual conversation. Common collocation includes 櫛毛 (zhì máo) meaning 'to comb hair.'

HSK Study Tips

While 櫛 is not part of HSK vocabulary, it connects with HSK Level 3 words related to daily grooming and personal care items. Students should focus on pronunciation and recognizing it in compound words.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 櫛 with similar characters like 梳 (shū), which also means 'comb' but is more commonly used in everyday language. Remember, 櫛 is more formal and less frequently encountered.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 櫛

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Etymology of 櫛

Formation TypeIdeographic 指事
六书 ClassificationIdeograph (指事字)~2% of characters
Memory Hint

A wooden 木 comb 節; 節 also provides the pronunciation

Learn more about Ideograph (指事字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 櫛

  1. 1The giveawayA wooden 木 comb 節; 節 also provides the pronunciation
  2. 2On the record asideographic — someone drew an idea rather than an object.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 櫛? 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 櫛?

Decomposition of 櫛

IDS Structure⿰木節
櫛Full Character
=
木Mu4
left
節jie2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 櫛?

How to say comb; to comb out, to eliminate, to weed out in Chinese

“comb; to comb out, to eliminate, to weed out” in Chinese is櫛zhì

The character 櫛 (zhì) refers primarily to a 'comb,' a tool used to untangle hair. It can also mean 'to comb out' or 'to eliminate' in a broader context, often implying a meticulous process of sorting or weeding out unwanted elements.

When to use 櫛

Be cautious with the tone, as using the wrong tone can lead to confusion with similar-sounding words. This character is more formal and might not be used in everyday casual conversation. Common collocation includes 櫛毛 (zhì máo) meaning 'to comb hair.'

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 櫛 with similar characters like 梳 (shū), which also means 'comb' but is more commonly used in everyday language. Remember, 櫛 is more formal and less frequently encountered.

Write 櫛

櫛

Practice writing 櫛 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 櫛

Words Containing This Character5
鳞次栉比row upon row鱗次櫛比
栉zhìcomb櫛
栉风沐雨fig. to work in the open regardless of the weather櫛風沐雨
栉比lined up close (like teeth of a comb)櫛比
沐雨栉风to work unceasingly regardless of the weather (idiom)沐雨櫛風
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 鳞次栉比 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 櫛

You can say '我用櫛梳理头发' (Wǒ yòng zhì shū lǐ tóufǎ) meaning 'I use a comb to style my hair.'

Jason Recommends

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