zung1 gwok3 zi6中國字中国字

Jyutpingzung1 gwok3 zi6

Yalejūng gwok jih

Definition

Chinese characters; written Chinese characters.

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How it's used

Native speakers rarely refer to the writing system as 中國字 in daily conversation. Instead, they almost exclusively use 漢字 or simply 寫字 when discussing the act of writing. Using 中國字 can sound slightly unnatural or like a direct translation from English.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

nei5你sik1識m4唔sik1識se2寫ni1呢di1啲zung1中gwok3國zi6字aa4呀？

Do you know how to write these Chinese characters?

ni1呢go3個zung1中gwok3國zi6字bat1筆waak6畫hou2好do1多，hou2好naan4難se2寫。

This Chinese character has many strokes and is hard to write.

Common phrases

se2寫zung1中gwok3國zi6字

to write Chinese characters

jing6認dak1得zung1中gwok3國zi6字

to recognize Chinese characters

Common mistake

Learners often use 中國字 to mean the Chinese language, but it specifically refers to the characters themselves. If you want to talk about the language, use 中文 instead.