卡 kǎ / qiǎ — to check; to stop; to block; card; customs station; to be choked
我用银行卡付了钱。Wǒ yòng yín háng kǎ fù le qián.I paid with a bank card.
Common words: 信用卡 (xìn yòng kǎ)、银行卡 (yín háng kǎ)、卡车 (kǎ chē)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to block"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to block", including 卡 (kǎ / qiǎ), 阻 (zǔ), 障 (zhàng), 碍 (ài). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to block" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 卡 (kǎ / qiǎ), 阻 (zǔ), 障 (zhàng), 碍 (ài) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kǎ, qiǎ, zǔ, zhàng, ài — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 卡 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 卡 kǎ / qiǎto check; to stop; to block; card; customs station; to be chokedUseful words: 信用卡, 银行卡
- 阻 zǔto hinder; to block; to obstructUseful words: 阻止, 阻碍
- 障 zhàngto block; to hinder; to obstructUseful words: 障碍, 保障
- 碍 àito hinder; to obstruct; to blockUseful words: 阻碍, 妨碍
Common words for these 4 "to block" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 卡 (kǎ / qiǎ) — so "to block" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
信用卡xìn yòng kǎcredit card银行卡yín háng kǎbank card卡车kǎ chētruck阻止zǔ zhǐto prevent; to block阻碍zǔ àito obstruct; to hinder; to block; obstruction阻挡zǔ dǎngto stop; to resist; to obstruct障碍zhàng àibarrier; obstruction; hindrance; impediment保障bǎo zhàngto ensure; to guarantee; to safeguard故障gù zhàngmalfunction; breakdown; defect; shortcoming阻碍zǔ àito obstruct; to hinder; to block; obstruction
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 block".
阻 zǔ — to hinder; to block; to obstruct
大雪阻挡了我们前进的路。Dà xuě zǔ dǎng le wǒ men qián jìn de lù.The heavy snow blocked our way forward.
Common words: 阻止 (zǔ zhǐ)、阻碍 (zǔ ài)、阻挡 (zǔ dǎng)
障 zhàng — to block; to hinder; to obstruct
这道障碍并没有难倒大家。Zhè dào zhàng ài bìng méi yǒu nán dǎo dà jiā.This obstacle did not stump everyone.
Common words: 障碍 (zhàng ài)、保障 (bǎo zhàng)、故障 (gù zhàng)
碍 ài — to hinder; to obstruct; to block
这棵大树挡在路中间，妨碍了交通。Zhè kē dà shù dǎng zài lù zhōng jiān, fáng ài le jiāo tōng.This big tree stands in the middle of the road and obstructs traffic.
Common words: 阻碍 (zǔ ài)、妨碍 (fáng ài)、障碍 (zhàng ài)
All 4 characters
Open 卡、阻、障 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.