杀 shā — to kill; to murder; to slaughter
在市场买东西可以杀价。Zài shì chǎng mǎi dōng xi kě yǐ shā jià.You can bargain when shopping at the market.
Common words: 自杀 (zì shā)、杀毒 (shā dú)、抹杀 (mǒ shā)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to kill"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to kill", including 杀 (shā), 刘 (liú). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to kill" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 杀 (shā), 刘 (liú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shā, liú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 杀 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 杀 shāto kill; to murder; to slaughterUseful words: 自杀, 杀毒
- 刘 liú(surname); to killUseful words: 刘向, 刘表
Common words for these 2 "to kill" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 杀 (shā) — so "to kill" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
自杀zì shāto kill oneself; to commit suicide; to attempt suicide杀毒shā dúto disinfect; (computing) to destroy a computer virus抹杀mǒ shāto erase; to cover traces; to obliterate evidence; to expunge刘向liú xiàngLiu Xiang (77-6 BC), Han Dynasty scholar and author刘表liú biǎoLiu Biao (142-208), warlord刘海liú hǎibangs; fringe (hair)
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 2 ways to say "to kill".
刘 liú — (surname); to kill
刘老师教我们画画。Liú lǎo shī jiāo wǒ men huà huà.Teacher Liu teaches us drawing.
Common words: 刘向 (liú xiàng)、刘表 (liú biǎo)、刘海 (liú hǎi)
All 2 characters
Open 杀、刘 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.