放 fàng — to release; to free; to let go; to put; to place; to let out
请把书放回书架上。Qǐng bǎ shū fàng huí shū jià shàng.Please put the book back on the shelf.
Common words: 放假 (fàng jià)、放学 (fàng xué)、放下 (fàng xià)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to place"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to place", including 放 (fàng), 置 (zhì), 摆 (bǎi), 搁 (gē). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to place" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 放 (fàng), 置 (zhì), 摆 (bǎi), 搁 (gē) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span fàng, zhì, bǎi, gē — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 放 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 放 fàngto release; to free; to let go; to put; to place; to let outUseful words: 放假, 放学
- 置 zhìto install; to place; to putUseful words: 位置, 装置
- 摆 bǎipendulum; to place; to display; to swing; to oscillate; to showUseful words: 摆脱, 摆动
- 搁 gēto placeUseful words: 耽搁, 搁置
Common words for these 4 "to place" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 放 (fàng) — so "to place" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
放假fàng jiàto have a holiday or vacation放学fàng xuéto dismiss students at the end of the school day放下fàng xiàto lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish位置wèi zhiposition; place; seat装置zhuāng zhìto install; installation; equipment; system设置shè zhìto set up; to install摆脱bǎi tuōto break away from; to cast off (old ideas etc); to get rid of; to break away (from)摆动bǎi dòngto sway; to swing; to move back and forth; to oscillate摆放bǎi fàngto set up; to arrange; to lay out耽搁dān geto tarry; to delay; to stop over
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 place".
置 zhì — to install; to place; to put
请把行李放置在架子上。Qǐng bǎ xíng li fàng zhì zài jià zi shàng.Please place the luggage on the rack.
Common words: 位置 (wèi zhi)、装置 (zhuāng zhì)、设置 (shè zhì)
摆 bǎi — pendulum; to place; to display; to swing; to oscillate; to show
桌子上整齐地摆着几本书。Zhuō zi shàng zhěng qí de bǎi zhe jǐ běn shū.A few books are neatly placed on the table.
Common words: 摆脱 (bǎi tuō)、摆动 (bǎi dòng)、摆放 (bǎi fàng)
搁 gē — to place
他把书随手搁在了桌子上。Tā bǎ shū suí shǒu gē zài le zhuō zi shàng.He casually put the book on the table.
Common words: 耽搁 (dān ge)、搁置 (gē zhì)、搁浅 (gē qiǎn)
All 4 characters
Open 放、置、摆 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.