残 cán — destroy; spoil; ruin; injure; cruel; oppressive
这本旧书已经残缺不全了。Zhè běn jiù shū yǐ jīng cán quē bù quán le.This old book is already incomplete.
Common words: 残疾 (cán jí)、残酷 (cán kù)、残忍 (cán rěn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "spoil"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "spoil", including 残 (cán), 糟 (zāo), 糟 (zāo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "spoil" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 残 (cán), 糟 (zāo), 糟 (zāo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cán, zāo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 残 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 残 cándestroy; spoil; ruin; injure; cruel; oppressiveUseful words: 残疾, 残酷
- 糟 zāodregs; to waste; spoil; to waste; spoilUseful words: 糟糕, 糟蹋
- 糟 zāodregs; to waste; spoil; to waste; spoilUseful words: 糟糕, 糟蹋
Common words for these 3 "spoil" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 残 (cán) — so "spoil" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
残疾cán jídisabled; handicapped; deformity on a person or animal残酷cán kùcruel; harsh; merciless残忍cán rěncruel; merciless; ruthless糟糕zāo gāotoo bad; how terrible; what bad luck; terrible糟蹋zāo tàto waste; to spoil; to ruin; to wreck乱七八糟luàn qī bā zāo(idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled糟糕zāo gāotoo bad; how terrible; what bad luck; terrible糟蹋zāo tàto waste; to spoil; to ruin; to wreck乱七八糟luàn qī bā zāo(idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled
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 "spoil".
糟 zāo — dregs; to waste; spoil; to waste; spoil
糟糕，我把作业忘在家里了。Zāo gāo, wǒ bǎ zuò yè wàng zài jiā lǐ le.Oh no, I left my homework at home.
Common words: 糟糕 (zāo gāo)、糟蹋 (zāo tà)、乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo)
糟 zāo — dregs; to waste; spoil; to waste; spoil
糟糕，我把作业忘在家里了。Zāo gāo, wǒ bǎ zuò yè wàng zài jiā lǐ le.Oh no, I left my homework at home.
Common words: 糟糕 (zāo gāo)、糟蹋 (zāo tà)、乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo)
All 3 characters
Open 残、糟、糟 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.