加 jiā — to add; plus
请给我的咖啡加点儿糖。Qǐng gěi wǒ de kā fēi jiā diǎnr táng.Please add some sugar to my coffee.
Common words: 参加 (cān jiā)、加油 (jiā yóu)、更加 (gèng jiā)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to add"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to add", including 加 (jiā), 增 (zēng), 附 (fù), 添 (tiān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to add" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 加 (jiā), 增 (zēng), 附 (fù), 添 (tiān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiā, zēng, fù, tiān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 加 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 加 jiāto add; plusUseful words: 参加, 加油
- 增 zēngto increase; to expand; to addUseful words: 增加, 增长
- 附 fùto add; to attach; to be close to; to be attachedUseful words: 附近, 附件
- 添 tiānto add; to increase; to replenishUseful words: 添加, 增添
Common words for these 4 "to add" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 加 (jiā) — so "to add" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
参加cān jiāto participate; to take part; to join加油jiā yóuto add oil; to top up with gas; to refuel; to accelerate更加gèng jiāmore (than sth else); even more增加zēng jiāto raise; to increase增长zēng zhǎngto grow; to increase增强zēng qiángto increase; to strengthen附近fù jìnnearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood附件fù jiànappendix (in a document); enclosure (accompanying a document); (email) attachment; accessory (for a car, computer etc)附属fù shǔsubsidiary; auxiliary; attached; affiliated添加tiān jiāto add; to increase
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 4 ways to say "to add".
增 zēng — to increase; to expand; to add
最近天气变冷，感冒的人增多了。Zuì jìn tiān qì biàn lěng, gǎn mào de rén zēng duō le.Recently the weather has turned cold, and more people have caught colds.
Common words: 增加 (zēng jiā)、增长 (zēng zhǎng)、增强 (zēng qiáng)
附 fù — to add; to attach; to be close to; to be attached
学校附近有一家面包店。Xué xiào fù jìn yǒu yì jiā miàn bāo diàn.There is a bakery near the school.
Common words: 附近 (fù jìn)、附件 (fù jiàn)、附属 (fù shǔ)
添 tiān — to add; to increase; to replenish
天气转凉，记得给孩子添件衣服。Tiān qì zhuǎn liáng, jì de gěi hái zi tiān jiàn yī fu.As the weather cools, remember to add a layer for the child.
Common words: 添加 (tiān jiā)、增添 (zēng tiān)、画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú)
All 4 characters
Open 加、增、附 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.