利 lì — advantage; benefit; profit; sharp
这种水果对身体有利。Zhè zhǒng shuǐ guǒ duì shēn tǐ yǒu lì.This kind of fruit is good for your health.
Common words: 顺利 (shùn lì)、流利 (liú lì)、利用 (lì yòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "sharp"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "sharp", including 利 (lì), 激 (jī), 尖 (jiān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "sharp" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 利 (lì), 激 (jī), 尖 (jiān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lì, jī, jiān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 利 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 利 lìadvantage; benefit; profit; sharpUseful words: 顺利, 流利
- 激 jīto arouse; to incite; to excite; to stimulate; sharp; fierceUseful words: 激动, 刺激
- 尖 jiānpoint (of needle); sharp; shrewd; pointedUseful words: 尖锐, 尖端
Common words for these 3 "sharp" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 利 (lì) — so "sharp" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
顺利shùn lìsmoothly; without a hitch流利liú lìfluent利用lì yòngto exploit; to make use of; to use; to take advantage of激动jī dòngto move emotionally; to stir up (emotions); to excite刺激cì jīto provoke; to irritate; to upset; to stimulate激烈jī liè(of competition or fighting) intense; fierce; (of pain) acute; (of an expression of opinion) impassioned尖锐jiān ruìsharp; intense; penetrating; pointed尖端jiān duānsharp pointed end; the tip; the cusp; tip-top顶尖dǐng jiānpeak; apex; world best; number one
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 "sharp".
激 jī — to arouse; to incite; to excite; to stimulate; sharp; fierce
听到这个消息，他非常激动。Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā fēi cháng jī dòng.He was very excited to hear this news.
Common words: 激动 (jī dòng)、刺激 (cì jī)、激烈 (jī liè)
尖 jiān — point (of needle); sharp; shrewd; pointed
这支铅笔的笔尖很尖。Zhè zhī qiān bǐ de bǐ jiān hěn jiān.The tip of this pencil is very sharp.
Common words: 尖锐 (jiān ruì)、尖端 (jiān duān)、顶尖 (dǐng jiān)
All 3 characters
Open 利、激、尖 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.