宰 zǎi — slaughter; butcher; govern; rule; official
古代有一种官职叫宰相。Gǔ dài yǒu yì zhǒng guān zhí jiào zǎi xiàng.In ancient times, there was an official position called prime minister.
Common words: 主宰 (zhǔ zǎi)、任人宰割 (rèn rén zǎi gē)、宰了 (zǎi le)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "slaughter"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "slaughter", including 宰 (zǎi), 屠 (tú). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "slaughter" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 宰 (zǎi), 屠 (tú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zǎi, tú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 宰 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 宰 zǎislaughter; butcher; govern; rule; officialUseful words: 主宰, 任人宰割
- 屠 túslaughter; slaughter manUseful words: 屠杀, 屠场
Common words for these 2 "slaughter" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 宰 (zǎi) — so "slaughter" 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 "slaughter".
屠 tú — slaughter; slaughter man
古时候，屠夫是专门宰杀牲畜的人。Gǔ shí hou, tú fū shì zhuān mén zǎi shā shēng chù de rén.In ancient times, a butcher was someone who slaughtered livestock.
Common words: 屠杀 (tú shā)、屠场 (tú chǎng)、屠夫 (tú fū)
All 2 characters
Open 宰、屠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.