滑 huá to slip
to slip; to slide; slippery; polished; smooth
How to remember 滑: 氵 water + 骨 bone = to slip. The puppy spills its water bowl on the tiles and races after a bone, and all four paws begin to slip across the kitchen.
Component breakdown
滑 = 氵 water + 骨 bone
- 氵 water
- 骨 bone
The puppy spills its water bowl on the tiles and races after a bone, and all four paws begin to slip across the kitchen.
How it is used
- Verb and adjective for slipping/sliding and being slippery: 路很滑，小心 (Lù hěn huá, xiǎoxīn) - "The road is slippery, be careful."
- Forms the core sports vocabulary for gliding activities: 滑冰 huábīng (skate), 滑雪 huáxuě (ski), 滑板 huábǎn (skateboard).
- 光滑 guānghuá describes a smooth, glossy surface (a compliment for skin or polished wood); 滑稽 huájī, by contrast, means comical/funny and is unrelated in meaning despite sharing the character - don't confuse the two.