击 jī — to hit; to strike; to break
他用力击中了球。Tā yòng lì jī zhòng le qiú.He hit the ball hard.
Common words: 打击 (dǎ jī)、射击 (shè jī)、攻击 (gōng jī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to break"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to break", including 击 (jī), 破 (pò), 折 (zhé / shé). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to break" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 击 (jī), 破 (pò), 折 (zhé / shé) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jī, pò, zhé, shé — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 击 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 击 jīto hit; to strike; to breakUseful words: 打击, 射击
- 破 pòto break; to split; broken; damaged; worn outUseful words: 破坏, 打破
- 折 zhé / shébroken (as of rope; stick); tenth (in price); to break; to fold; to turnUseful words: 打折, 折扣
Common words for these 3 "to break" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 击 (jī) — so "to break" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
打击dǎ jīto hit; to strike; to attack; to crack down on sth射击shè jīto shoot; to fire (a gun)攻击gōng jīto attack; to accuse; to charge; an attack (terrorist or military)破坏pò huàidestruction; damage; to wreck; to break打破dǎ pòto break; to smash破产pò chǎnto go bankrupt; to become impoverished; bankruptcy打折dǎ zhéto give a discount折扣zhé kòudiscount折磨zhé móto torment; to torture
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 "to break".
破 pò — to break; to split; broken; damaged; worn out
我的鞋子破了一个洞。Wǒ de xié zi pò le yí ge dòng.My shoe has a hole in it.
Common words: 破坏 (pò huài)、打破 (dǎ pò)、破产 (pò chǎn)
折 zhé / shé — broken (as of rope; stick); tenth (in price); to break; to fold; to turn
他把信纸对折了一下，放进信封。Tā bǎ xìn zhǐ duì zhé le yí xià, fàng jìn xìn fēng.He folded the letter paper and put it into the envelope.
Common words: 打折 (dǎ zhé)、折扣 (zhé kòu)、折磨 (zhé mó)
All 3 characters
Open 击、破、折 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.