误 wù — mistake; error; to miss; to harm; to delay; to neglect
这次的错误让他记住了教训。Zhè cì de cuò wù ràng tā jì zhù le jiào xun.This mistake taught him a lesson.
Common words: 错误 (cuò wù)、误会 (wù huì)、失误 (shī wù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to delay"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to delay", including 误 (wù), 延 (yán), 磨 (mó / mò). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to delay" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 误 (wù), 延 (yán), 磨 (mó / mò) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wù, yán, mó, mò — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 误 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 误 wùmistake; error; to miss; to harm; to delay; to neglectUseful words: 错误, 误会
- 延 yánto prolong; to extend; to delayUseful words: 延长, 延续
- 磨 mó / mòto sharpen; to delay; hardship; to grind; to rub; grindstoneUseful words: 折磨, 琢磨
Common words for these 3 "to delay" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 误 (wù) — so "to delay" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
错误cuò wùmistaken; false; wrong; error误会wù huìto misunderstand; to mistake; misunderstanding失误shī wùlapse; mistake; to make a mistake; fault延长yán chángto prolong; to extend; to delay延续yán xùto continue; to go on; to last延期yán qīto delay; to extend; to postpone; to defer折磨zhé móto torment; to torture琢磨zhuó móto carve and polish (jade); to polish and refine a literary work磨合mó héto break in; to wear in
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 delay".
延 yán — to prolong; to extend; to delay
因为下雨，运动会延期了。Yīn wèi xià yǔ, yùn dòng huì yán qī le.Because of the rain, the sports meet was postponed.
Common words: 延长 (yán cháng)、延续 (yán xù)、延期 (yán qī)
磨 mó / mò — to sharpen; to delay; hardship; to grind; to rub; grindstone
要把刀磨快，才好切菜。Yào bǎ dāo mó kuài, cái hǎo qiē cài.Sharpen the knife so it cuts vegetables well.
Common words: 折磨 (zhé mó)、琢磨 (zhuó mó)、磨合 (mó hé)
All 3 characters
Open 误、延、磨 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.