角 jiǎo horn
horn; corner; 0.1 yuan; angle
How it came to be
An animal horn stood on its point, with the growth rings drawn as bands across it. The bands are how to tell it from a plain cone: they are what a real horn has.
How it is used
- Two readings. jiǎo = horn / corner / angle - 角落 (jiǎoluò) corner, 角度 (jiǎodù) angle/perspective, and 1/10 of a yuan (spoken 毛 máo).
- jué = a role/part - 角色 (juésè) role, 主角 (zhǔjué) lead, 配角 (pèijué) supporting role. Reading it jiǎosè is a classic mistake.
- Same character, so 主角 must be jué; 三角 (sānjiǎo) triangle keeps jiǎo.
- 冰山一角 (bīngshān-yìjiǎo) tip of the iceberg - here it's jiǎo.
Characters built with 角
Words with 角
- 角度jiǎodùangleHSK 5
- 角色juésèroleHSK 5
- 主角zhǔjuéleading roleHSK 6
- 角落jiǎoluòcorner (of a room, courtyard etc)HSK 6
- 三角sānjiǎotriangleHSK 7
- 冰山一角bīngshān-yìjiǎotip of the icebergHSK 7
- 视角shìjiǎoangle from which one observes an objectHSK 7
- 凤毛麟角fèngmáo-línjiǎoliterally as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn hornsHSK 8
- 棱角léngjiǎoedge and cornerHSK 9
- 角逐juézhúto tussleHSK 9
- 配角pèijuésupporting roleHSK 9
Example sentences
- 牛有两只角。 Niú yǒu liǎng zhī jiǎo.Cows have two horns.