偶 ǒu — accidental; image; pair; mate
我们俩只是偶然认识的。Wǒ men liǎ zhǐ shì ǒu rán rèn shi de.The two of us met merely by chance.
Common words: 偶尔 (ǒu ěr)、偶像 (ǒu xiàng)、偶然 (ǒu rán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "mate"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "mate", including 偶 (ǒu), 匹 (pī / pǐ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "mate" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 偶 (ǒu), 匹 (pī / pǐ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ǒu, pī, pǐ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 偶 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 偶 ǒuaccidental; image; pair; mateUseful words: 偶尔, 偶像
- 匹 pī / pǐmate; one of a pair; (measure word for horses; mules; a bolt of cloth); ordinary personUseful words: 匹配, 无匹
Common words for these 2 "mate" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 偶 (ǒu) — so "mate" 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 "mate".
匹 pī / pǐ — mate; one of a pair; (measure word for horses; mules; a bolt of cloth); ordinary person
草原上奔跑着一匹枣红色的马。Cǎo yuán shàng bēn pǎo zhe yì pǐ zǎo hóng sè de mǎ.A chestnut horse is running on the grassland.
Common words: 匹配 (pǐ pèi)、无匹 (wú pǐ)、匹克 (pǐ kè)
All 2 characters
Open 偶、匹 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.