改 gǎi — to change; to alter; to transform; to correct
老师正在帮我改作文。Lǎo shī zhèng zài bāng wǒ gǎi zuò wén.The teacher is helping me correct my essay.
Common words: 改变 (gǎi biàn)、改造 (gǎi zào)、修改 (xiū gǎi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to alter"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to alter", including 改 (gǎi), 移 (yí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to alter" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 改 (gǎi), 移 (yí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gǎi, yí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 改 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 改 gǎito change; to alter; to transform; to correctUseful words: 改变, 改造
- 移 yíto move; to shift; to change; to alter; to removeUseful words: 移动, 转移
Common words for these 2 "to alter" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 改 (gǎi) — so "to alter" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
改变gǎi biànto change; to alter; to transform改造gǎi zàoto transform; to reform; to remodel; to remold修改xiū gǎito amend; to alter; to modify移动yí dòngto move; movement; migration; mobile转移zhuǎn yíto shift; to relocate; to transfer; (fig.) to shift (attention)移民yí mínto immigrate; to migrate; emigrant; immigrant
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 "to alter".
移 yí — to move; to shift; to change; to alter; to remove
请帮我把桌子往左移一点儿。Qǐng bāng wǒ bǎ zhuō zi wǎng zuǒ yí yì diǎnr.Please help me move the table a little to the left.
Common words: 移动 (yí dòng)、转移 (zhuǎn yí)、移民 (yí mín)
All 2 characters
Open 改、移 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.