责 zé — duty; responsibility; to reproach; to blame
保护环境是大家的责任。Bǎo hù huán jìng shì dà jiā de zé rèn.Protecting the environment is everyone responsibility.
Common words: 负责 (fù zé)、责任 (zé rèn)、负责人 (fù zé rén)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "duty"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "duty", including 责 (zé), 职 (zhí), 仔 (zǐ / zī / zǎi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "duty" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 责 (zé), 职 (zhí), 仔 (zǐ / zī / zǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zé, zhí, zǐ, zī, zǎi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 责 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 责 zéduty; responsibility; to reproach; to blameUseful words: 负责, 责任
- 职 zhíoffice; dutyUseful words: 职业, 职工
- 仔 zǐ / zī / zǎiduty; responsibility; minutely; youngUseful words: 仔细, 牛仔裤
Common words for these 3 "duty" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 责 (zé) — so "duty" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
负责fù zéto be responsible for; to be in charge of; to bear responsibility for; conscientious责任zé rènresponsibility; duty; liability负责人fù zé rénperson in charge职业zhí yèoccupation; profession; vocation; professional职工zhí gōngemployee; staff member; worker辞职cí zhíto resign仔细zǐ xìcareful; attentive; cautious; to be careful牛仔裤niú zǎi kùjeans公仔gōng zǎidoll; cuddly toy
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 3 ways to say "duty".
职 zhí — office; duty
他在这家公司任职多年。Tā zài zhè jiā gōng sī rèn zhí duō nián.He has worked at this company for many years.
Common words: 职业 (zhí yè)、职工 (zhí gōng)、辞职 (cí zhí)
仔 zǐ / zī / zǎi — duty; responsibility; minutely; young
做题的时候要仔细，别马虎。Zuò tí de shí hou yào zǐ xì, bié mǎ hu.When doing problems, be careful and do not be sloppy.
Common words: 仔细 (zǐ xì)、牛仔裤 (niú zǎi kù)、公仔 (gōng zǎi)
All 3 characters
Open 责、职、仔 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.