错 cuò — mistake; error; blunder; fault; cross; uneven
这道题我做错了。Zhè dào tí wǒ zuò cuò le.I got this problem wrong.
Common words: 不错 (bù cuò)、错误 (cuò wù)、错过 (cuò guò)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "error"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "error", including 错 (cuò), 差 (chā / chà / chāi / cī), 误 (wù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "error" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 错 (cuò), 差 (chā / chà / chāi / cī), 误 (wù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cuò, chā, chà, chāi, cī, wù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 错 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 错 cuòmistake; error; blunder; fault; cross; unevenUseful words: 不错, 错误
- 差 chā / chà / chāi / cīdifference; discrepancy; to differ; error; to err; to make a mistakeUseful words: 差不多, 出差
- 误 wùmistake; error; to miss; to harm; to delay; to neglectUseful words: 错误, 误会
Common words for these 3 "error" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 错 (cuò) — so "error" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
不错bù cuòcorrect; right; not bad; pretty good错误cuò wùmistaken; false; wrong; error错过cuò guòto miss (train, opportunity etc)差不多chà bu duōalmost; nearly; more or less; about the same出差chū chāito go on an official or business trip差点儿chà diǎn rcolloquial (-r) form of 差点错误cuò wùmistaken; false; wrong; error误会wù huìto misunderstand; to mistake; misunderstanding失误shī wùlapse; mistake; to make a mistake; fault
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 "error".
差 chā / chà / chāi / cī — difference; discrepancy; to differ; error; to err; to make a mistake
他的数学成绩有点儿差。Tā de shù xué chéng jì yǒu diǎnr chà.His math grades are a bit poor.
Common words: 差不多 (chà bu duō)、出差 (chū chāi)、差点儿 (chà diǎn r)
误 wù — mistake; error; to miss; to harm; to delay; to neglect
这次的错误让他记住了教训。Zhè cì de cuò wù ràng tā jì zhù le jiào xun.This mistake taught him a lesson.
Common words: 错误 (cuò wù)、误会 (wù huì)、失误 (shī wù)
All 3 characters
Open 错、差、误 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.