组 zǔ — to form; compose; make up; group; to organize; cord
老师把我们分成了四个小组。Lǎo shī bǎ wǒ men fēn chéng le sì ge xiǎo zǔ.The teacher divided us into four small groups.
Common words: 小组 (xiǎo zǔ)、组成 (zǔ chéng)、组长 (zǔ zhǎng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "cord"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "cord", including 组 (zǔ), 扎 (zhā / zā / zhá). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "cord" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 组 (zǔ), 扎 (zhā / zā / zhá) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zǔ, zhā, zā, zhá — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 组 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 组 zǔto form; compose; make up; group; to organize; cordUseful words: 小组, 组成
- 扎 zhā / zā / zháto tie; to bind; tie with string or ribbon; bind with rope or cord; to stop; to prickUseful words: 挣扎, 驻扎
Common words for these 2 "cord" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 组 (zǔ) — so "cord" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "cord".
扎 zhā / zā / zhá — to tie; to bind; tie with string or ribbon; bind with rope or cord; to stop; to prick
不小心被针扎了一下，手指有点儿疼。Bù xiǎo xīn bèi zhēn zhā le yí xià, shǒu zhǐ yǒu diǎnr téng.I accidentally got pricked by a needle, and my finger hurts a bit.
Common words: 挣扎 (zhēng zhá)、驻扎 (zhù zhā)、扎实 (zhā shi)
All 2 characters
Open 组、扎 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.