窄 (zhǎi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

窄

zhǎi[zhai3]Tone 3

narrow

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · narrow

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (穴 cave radical) is wider and spans the top, sheltering the right side (尸 corpse radical + 隹 short-tailed bird/small element inside). Ensure the top crown overhangs gracefully.

1. Meaning

narrow

narrow-mindedbadly offtight (of space)

AdjectiveNeutral#dimension#space#personality#finance

Sample Usage

这条路太窄了，汽车过不去。
zhè tiáo lù tài zhǎi le, qìchē guò bù qù.
This road is too narrow; cars cannot pass through.
他这个人胸怀狭窄。
tā zhè gè rén xiōnghuái xiázhǎi.
He is a narrow-minded person.

2. Sound

/[ʈʂaɪ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

窄

zhǎizhai3

ˇ(214)

=zhǎi

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

zhai

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ai rhymes with eye

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eye'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low like a skeptical 'Really?' in English, lowering the pitch before rising.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, zhǎi changes to a 2nd tone (35) due to tone sandhi rules.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'zh' with the alveolar affricate 'j' or retroflex 'ch'. Ensure your tongue curls back and you do not aspirate the initial consonant.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start moderately high, dip low down to your chest, and sweep back up to indicate Tone 3.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

4. Components

Radical 穴 · Cave Radical (cave, hole, pit)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 穴 (indicates a cave or confined physical space)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 隹 (original sound: zhui/zhai)

A narrow space is imagined as entering a deep cave (穴) where only a small bird (隹) can barely fit, making it tight and restricted.

穴 Cave or hole (spatial constraint)
隹 Short-tailed bird (phonetic and conceptual tightness clue)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 窄 (zhǎi)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the cave roof (穴) with a phonetic and pictorial element representing confinement, denoting restricted physical spaces.

Semantic Evolution: From a physical cave opening being cramped, it expanded metaphorically to narrow minds (狭窄) and financial stringency (手头窄).

The cave radical 穴 frequently appears in characters denoting dwellings, holes, and underground spaces.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: サク (saku) / セウ (seu) / Kun: せまい (semai)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

협

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine exploring a deep cave (穴) where you try to squeeze past, but it is so **narrow** that even a tiny bird (隹) can barely flutter through without bumping its wings!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

榨

zhàvariant of 榨[zha4]; to press+ 木 (tree)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

深(shēn)

深 means 'deep' with a water radical (氵), whereas 窄 means 'narrow' with a cave radical (穴).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这座桥太[___]了，两辆自行车不能并排过。

Clue: zhǎi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the character structure of 窄 with similar left-right configurations or writing 隹 incorrectly inside the right side.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 窄, what does it mean and how do you pronounce it?

Production: How do you write the character for 'narrow' using the cave radical?

窄zhǎinarrow

Speed:

Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...

0 / 0