会 huì / kuài — can; be possible; be able to; to assemble; to meet; to gather
我会说一点儿中文。Wǒ huì shuō yì diǎnr Zhōng wén.I can speak a little Chinese.
Common words: 一会儿 (yī huì r)、开会 (kāi huì)、机会 (jī huì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to gather"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to gather", including 会 (huì / kuài), 统 (tǒng), 集 (jí), 采 (cǎi / cài). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to gather" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 会 (huì / kuài), 统 (tǒng), 集 (jí), 采 (cǎi / cài) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span huì, kuài, tǒng, jí, cǎi, cài — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 会 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 会 huì / kuàican; be possible; be able to; to assemble; to meet; to gatherUseful words: 一会儿, 开会
- 统 tǒngto gather; to unite; to unify; wholeUseful words: 系统, 总统
- 集 jíto gather; to collect; collected worksUseful words: 集中, 集体
- 采 cǎi / càito pick; to pluck; to collect; to select; to choose; to gatherUseful words: 采取, 采用
Common words for these 4 "to gather" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 会 (huì / kuài) — so "to gather" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
一会儿yī huì ra moment; a while; in a moment; now...now...开会kāi huìto hold a meeting; to attend a meeting机会jī huìopportunity; chance; occasion系统xì tǒngsystem总统zǒng tǒngpresident (of a country)传统chuán tǒngtradition; traditional集中jí zhōngto concentrate; to centralize; to focus; centralized集体jí tǐcollective (decision); joint (effort); a group; a team集合jí héto gather; to assemble; (math.) set采取cǎi qǔto adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action); to take
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 gather".
统 tǒng — to gather; to unite; to unify; whole
老师统计了班里的人数。Lǎo shī tǒng jì le bān lǐ de rén shù.The teacher counted the number of people in the class.
Common words: 系统 (xì tǒng)、总统 (zǒng tǒng)、传统 (chuán tǒng)
集 jí — to gather; to collect; collected works
同学们集合在操场上。Tóng xué men jí hé zài cāo chǎng shàng.The students gathered on the playground.
Common words: 集中 (jí zhōng)、集体 (jí tǐ)、集合 (jí hé)
采 cǎi / cài — to pick; to pluck; to collect; to select; to choose; to gather
周末我们去山上采蘑菇。Zhōu mò wǒ men qù shān shàng cǎi mó gu.At the weekend we went to the mountains to pick mushrooms.
Common words: 采取 (cǎi qǔ)、采用 (cǎi yòng)、采访 (cǎi fǎng)
All 4 characters
Open 会、统、集 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.