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膠 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
膠jiāoglue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to gluex, 15 strokes, radical ⺼, rank #51108, Very Hard
jiāo(jiao1)jiao T1
  1. 1glue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to glue
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March 24, 2026

膠jiāo(jiao1)

膠 (jiāo) refers to substances like glue, gum, resin, or rubber that have adhesive properties. It can describe both the material itself and the action of sticking things together. This character is commonly used in contexts involving crafts, construction, and various industrial applications.

Strokes15Radical⺼Frequency#51108DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural note

In traditional Chinese medicine, certain types of 膠, like deer antler glue, are believed to have health benefits and are used in herbal remedies. This highlights the cultural significance of materials that are sticky or adhesive.

Memory tip

Imagine a sticky jelly (膠) that binds two surfaces together with its gooey form. The character 膠 has a 'meat' radical (月) which you can think of as the soft, squishy nature of glue. Remember, 'jiāo' sounds like 'jelly' which is also sticky!

Meanings of 膠

jiāo(jiao1)
1glue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to glue
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 膠

膠Simplified
15Strokes
⺼Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 膠

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Podcast: 膠

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AI study notes for 膠

Quick Contrast

胶水 (jiāoshuǐ) vs 膠 (jiāo) - use 膠 when referring to the material in a general sense, while 胶水 specifically refers to glue in liquid form.

Usage Notes

膠 is often used in combination with other characters to specify types of glue, like 胶水 (jiāo shuǐ) for 'glue water.' Be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding words that may have different meanings. The tone for 膠 is the first tone, which should be pronounced with a high and level pitch.

HSK Study Tips

膠 is not currently included in HSK levels, but it connects with vocabulary related to materials and tools, common in practical settings. When learning this word, pay attention to its usage in compound words to expand your vocabulary contextually.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 膠 with other similar-sounding words, such as 交 (jiāo, meaning 'to hand over'). An incorrect use might be saying 胶 (jiāo) when referring to a friend (交), which can lead to confusion.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 膠

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Etymology of 膠

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory hint

flesh

Semantic (meaning)⺼
+
Phonetic (sound)翏
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

膠 = ⺼ + 翏. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 膠

IDS Structure⿰⺼翏
膠Full character
=
⺼rou4
left
翏liu4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 膠?

How to say glue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to glue in Chinese

“glue, gum, resin, rubber; sticky; to glue” in Chinese is膠jiāo

膠 (jiāo) refers to substances like glue, gum, resin, or rubber that have adhesive properties. It can describe both the material itself and the action of sticking things together. This character is commonly used in contexts involving crafts, construction, and various industrial applications.

When to use 膠

膠 is often used in combination with other characters to specify types of glue, like 胶水 (jiāo shuǐ) for 'glue water.' Be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding words that may have different meanings. The tone for 膠 is the first tone, which should be pronounced with a high and level pitch.

膠 or something close to it

胶水 (jiāoshuǐ) vs 膠 (jiāo) - use 膠 when referring to the material in a general sense, while 胶水 specifically refers to glue in liquid form.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 膠 with other similar-sounding words, such as 交 (jiāo, meaning 'to hand over'). An incorrect use might be saying 胶 (jiāo) when referring to a friend (交), which can lead to confusion.

Write 膠

膠

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

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Word Family of 膠

Words containing this character20
胶jiāoglue膠
橡胶xiàngjiāorubber橡膠
胶带jiāodàiadhesive tape膠帶
胶片jiāopiàn(photographic) film膠片
胶囊jiāonángcaplet膠囊
胶水jiāoshuǐglue膠水
塑胶plastic塑膠
胶卷film膠卷
胶原collagen (protein)膠原
硅胶silica gel硅膠
胶布band-aid膠布
胶质colloid膠質
乳胶latex乳膠
阿胶Taiwan pr. [ā​jiāo]阿膠
胶着to stick onto膠著
明胶gelatin明膠
胶体colloid膠體
胶合板plywood膠合板
果胶pectin果膠
胶州Jiaozhou county level city in Qingdao 青島|青岛, Shandong膠州
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 膠

What does 胶 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 膠

Common phrases include 胶水 (jiāo shuǐ), meaning 'glue water,' and 胶带 (jiāo dài), which means 'adhesive tape.'

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