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訛 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
訛éto swindle, to cheat; wrong, error; falsehoodx, 11 strokes, radical 言
é(e2) T2
  1. 1to swindle, to cheat; wrong, error; falsehood
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March 24, 2026

訛é(e2)

The character 訛 (é) refers to the act of swindling or cheating someone, as well as indicating something that is wrong or erroneous. It can also denote a falsehood, emphasizing deception in communication or actions.

Strokes11Radical言
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the concept of honesty and integrity is highly valued, especially in business dealings. The character 訛 serves as a reminder of the negative consequences of deceit in social interactions.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person wearing a deceptive mask (the radical 言, which means 'speech') while trying to swindle a friend. The character's form combines the speech element with the idea of error, making it easy to remember that 訛 relates to deceitful speech.

Meanings of 訛

é(e2)
1to swindle, to cheat; wrong, error; falsehood
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 訛

訛Simplified
11Strokes
言Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 訛

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Podcast: 訛

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AI Study Notes for 訛

Quick Contrast

误 (wù) - use 误 when referring to a mistake or error that is not necessarily deceptive, while 訛 emphasizes swindling or intentional deceit.

Usage Notes

This character is typically used in a negative context, so it's important to be cautious about its usage in formal settings. Common collocations include 訛言 (éyán, false statement) and 訛詐 (ézhà, swindle). Remember to use the correct tone: é (2nd tone) is crucial because mispronunciation can change the meaning.

HSK Study Tips

While 訛 is not included in the HSK levels, it can be useful for students familiar with HSK Level 5 vocabulary related to deception and error. Focus on understanding its usage in contexts discussing honesty and integrity.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 訛 with similar characters like 騙 (piàn, to deceive). For instance, saying '我被騙了' (wǒ bèi piàn le, I was deceived) instead of using 訛 can lead to confusion about the type of deception being discussed.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 訛

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Etymology of 訛

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 化 represents the sound. Simplified form of 訛.

Memory Hint

speech

Semantic (meaning)言
+
Phonetic (sound)化
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 訛

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 化 represents the sound. Simplified form of 訛.

  1. 1The meaning half言 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half化 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayspeech
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 訛? 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 訛?

Decomposition of 訛

IDS Structure⿰言化
訛Full Character
=
言yan2
left
化hua1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 訛?

How to say to swindle, to cheat; wrong, error; falsehood in Chinese

“to swindle, to cheat; wrong, error; falsehood” in Chinese is訛é

The character 訛 (é) refers to the act of swindling or cheating someone, as well as indicating something that is wrong or erroneous. It can also denote a falsehood, emphasizing deception in communication or actions.

When to use 訛

This character is typically used in a negative context, so it's important to be cautious about its usage in formal settings. Common collocations include 訛言 (éyán, false statement) and 訛詐 (ézhà, swindle). Remember to use the correct tone: é (2nd tone) is crucial because mispronunciation can change the meaning.

訛 or something close to it

误 (wù) - use 误 when referring to a mistake or error that is not necessarily deceptive, while 訛 emphasizes swindling or intentional deceit.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 訛 with similar characters like 騙 (piàn, to deceive). For instance, saying '我被騙了' (wǒ bèi piàn le, I was deceived) instead of using 訛 can lead to confusion about the type of deception being discussed.

Write 訛

訛

Practice writing 訛 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 訛

Words Containing This Character8
讹诈ézhàto blackmail訛詐
讹éerror訛
以讹传讹to spread falsehoods以訛傳訛
讹传unfounded rumor訛傳
讹误error in a text訛誤
讹人to blackmail訛人
讹谬error訛謬
差讹error差訛
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 讹诈 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 訛

Not frequently; it's more common in formal or literary contexts discussing deception.

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