(chāo) - super, really (colloquial); to exceed in Mandarin
chāoTraditional: 超
Translation
super, really (colloquial); to exceed
Word origin
A phono-semantic character: 走 (zǒu, to walk or run) gives the meaning of going past something, and 召 (zhào) gives the sound.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 走 (zǒu, to run) + 召 (zhào, phonetic)
Stroke order
超
Examples
。
The noodles at this shop are seriously good.
。
It is really cold today.
。
He runs incredibly fast.
。
Do not go over eighty.
。
I really want to see this film.
超 (chāo) started as a verb meaning to exceed or overtake, and it still does that job inside 超过 (chāo guò, to exceed) and 超速 (chāo sù, to speed). On its own in speech, though, it is mostly the young intensifier: super, dead, well.
That colloquial 超 sits straight in front of an adjective or a verb: 超好吃, 超累, 超想去. It is stronger than 很 and warmer than 非常, and it belongs to friends, chat apps and adverts rather than to a report or a job interview.
The trap for English speakers is that "super" in English is a whole prefix hunting for a hyphen. 超 needs no hyphen and no 的 in the middle: 超好 is complete, 超的好 is not a sentence.
Where this fits
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超: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "超" (super, really (colloquial); to exceed): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 49.