切 qiē / qiè — to cut; to slice; close to
妈妈把苹果切成了四块。Mā ma bǎ píng guǒ qiē chéng le sì kuài.Mom cut the apple into four pieces.
Common words: 一切 (yī qiè)、亲切 (qīn qiè)、密切 (mì qiè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to cut"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to cut", including 切 (qiē / qiè), 刻 (kè), 削 (xuē / xiāo), 剖 (pōu). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to cut" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 切 (qiē / qiè), 刻 (kè), 削 (xuē / xiāo), 剖 (pōu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qiē, qiè, kè, xuē, xiāo, pōu — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 切 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 切 qiē / qièto cut; to slice; close toUseful words: 一切, 亲切
- 刻 kèquarter (hour); (a measure word); to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressiveUseful words: 时刻, 立刻
- 削 xuē / xiāoto scrape; to reduce; to pare (away); to cut (down)Useful words: 削弱, 剥削
- 剖 pōuto cutUseful words: 解剖, 剖面
Common words for these 4 "to cut" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 切 (qiē / qiè) — so "to cut" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
一切yī qièeverything; every; all亲切qīn qièamiable; cordial; close and dear; familiar密切mì qièclose; intimate; to strengthen (ties, cooperation etc); closely时刻shí kètime; juncture; moment; period of time立刻lì kèimmediately; at once; right away深刻shēn kèprofound; deep; deep-going削弱xuē ruòto weaken; to impair; to cripple剥削bō xuēto exploit; exploitation削发xuē fàto shave one's head; fig. to become a monk or nun; to take the tonsure解剖jiě pōuto dissect (an animal); to analyze; anatomy
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 cut".
刻 kè — quarter (hour); (a measure word); to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive
请等一刻钟，我马上就好。Qǐng děng yí kè zhōng, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù hǎo.Please wait fifteen minutes; I will be ready soon.
Common words: 时刻 (shí kè)、立刻 (lì kè)、深刻 (shēn kè)
削 xuē / xiāo — to scrape; to reduce; to pare (away); to cut (down)
他用小刀削了一支铅笔。Tā yòng xiǎo dāo xiāo le yì zhī qiān bǐ.He sharpened a pencil with a small knife.
Common words: 削弱 (xuē ruò)、剥削 (bō xuē)、削发 (xuē fà)
剖 pōu — to cut
科学课上，老师给我们剖开了一颗种子。Kē xué kè shàng, lǎo shī gěi wǒ men pōu kāi le yì kē zhǒng zi.In science class, the teacher cut open a seed for us.
Common words: 解剖 (jiě pōu)、剖面 (pōu miàn)、剖解 (pōu jiě)
All 4 characters
Open 切、刻、削 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.