盖 gài / gě — lid; top; cover; canopy; to build; (surname)
天冷了，睡觉要盖好被子。Tiān lěng le, shuì jiào yào gài hǎo bèi zi.When it is cold, cover yourself well with a quilt when sleeping.
Common words: 覆盖 (fù gài)、膝盖 (xī gài)、掩盖 (yǎn gài)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "cover"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "cover", including 盖 (gài / gě), 套 (tào), 挡 (dǎng / dàng), 罩 (zhào), 掀 (xiān). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "cover" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 盖 (gài / gě), 套 (tào), 挡 (dǎng / dàng), 罩 (zhào), 掀 (xiān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gài, gě, tào, dǎng, dàng, zhào, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 盖 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 盖 gài / gělid; top; cover; canopy; to build; (surname)Useful words: 覆盖, 膝盖
- 套 tàoto cover; covering; case; cover; (a measure word; a set of something)Useful words: 外套, 手套
- 挡 dǎng / dànghinder; resist; obstruct; hinder; cover; keep offUseful words: 阻挡, 遮挡
- 罩 zhàocover; fish trap (basket); shadeUseful words: 笼罩, 口罩
- 掀 xiānlift (cover)Useful words: 掀起, 掀动
Common words for these 5 "cover" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 盖 (gài / gě) — so "cover" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
覆盖fù gàito cover膝盖xī gàiknee; (Internet slang) to kneel down (in admiration)掩盖yǎn gàito conceal; to hide behind; to cover up外套wài tàoouter garment; jacket; coat手套shǒu tàoglove; mitten套餐tào cānset meal; (fig.) product or service package (e.g. for a cell phone subscription)阻挡zǔ dǎngto stop; to resist; to obstruct遮挡zhē dǎngto shelter; to shelter from抵挡dǐ dǎngto resist; to hold back; to stop; to ward off笼罩lǒng zhàoto envelop; to shroud
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 5 ways to say "cover".
套 tào — to cover; covering; case; cover; (a measure word; a set of something)
天冷了，他穿上了一套厚衣服。Tiān lěng le, tā chuān shàng le yí tào hòu yī fu.It got cold, so he put on a set of thick clothes.
Common words: 外套 (wài tào)、手套 (shǒu tào)、套餐 (tào cān)
挡 dǎng / dàng — hinder; resist; obstruct; hinder; cover; keep off
他用伞挡住了风雨。Tā yòng sǎn dǎng zhù le fēng yǔ.He used an umbrella to shield against the wind and rain.
Common words: 阻挡 (zǔ dǎng)、遮挡 (zhē dǎng)、抵挡 (dǐ dǎng)
罩 zhào — cover; fish trap (basket); shade
早晨，山谷被一层薄雾笼罩着。Zǎo chén, shān gǔ bèi yì céng báo wù lóng zhào zhe.In the morning, the valley is shrouded in a thin mist.
Common words: 笼罩 (lǒng zhào)、口罩 (kǒu zhào)、罩子 (zhào zi)
掀 xiān — lift (cover)
一阵大风掀起了地上的落叶。Yí zhèn dà fēng xiān qǐ le dì shàng de luò yè.A gust of wind lifted up the fallen leaves on the ground.
Common words: 掀起 (xiān qǐ)、掀动 (xiān dòng)、掀开 (xiān kāi)
All 5 characters
Open 盖、套、挡 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.