叉 chā fork
fork; cross; intersect; "X"
How to remember 叉: 又 again + 丶 a drop = fork. The boy drops his spoon again, watches a drop of sauce land on the tablecloth and asks his mum for a fork.
Component breakdown
叉 = 又 again + 丶 a drop
- 又 again
- 丶 a drop
The boy drops his spoon again, watches a drop of sauce land on the tablecloth and asks his mum for a fork.
How it is used
- Concrete noun "fork": 叉子 chāzi is the everyday word for the eating utensil.
- As a verb/noun it also means "to cross, intersect": 交叉 jiāochā "to cross" (of roads, lines, schedules).
- 打叉 dǎ chā "to mark with an X" is the everyday phrase for marking something wrong, the opposite of 打钩 dǎ gōu "to check off, mark with a ✓" - 在这里打钩 (zài zhèlǐ dǎ gōu) tick here.