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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to scrape"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to scrape", including 削 (xuē / xiāo), 刮 (guā). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to scrape" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 削 (xuē / xiāo), 刮 (guā) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xuē, xiāo, guā — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 削 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 削 xuē / xiāoto scrape; to reduce; to pare (away); to cut (down)Useful words: 削弱, 剥削
- 刮 guāto scrape; to blow; blow (of the wind)Useful words: 刮风, 刮脸
Common words for these 2 "to scrape" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 削 (xuē / xiāo) — so "to scrape" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 scrape".
刮 guā — to scrape; to blow; blow (of the wind)
外面刮起了大风，把树枝都吹弯了。Wài mian guā qǐ le dà fēng, bǎ shù zhī dōu chuī wān le.A strong wind blew up outside, bending the branches.
Common words: 刮风 (guā fēng)、刮脸 (guā liǎn)、刮伤 (guā shāng)
All 2 characters
Open 削、刮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.