(jiǎ) - Jia (a surname); merchant (archaic) in Mandarin
jiǎTraditional: 賈
Translation
Jia (a surname); merchant (archaic)
Word origin
A phono-semantic character built on 贝 (bèi, cowrie shell, money), originally meaning to trade or a merchant, read gǔ in that older sense.
- Origin
- phono-semantic
- Root
- 覀 (phonetic) + 贝 (bèi, money)
Stroke order
贾
Examples
。
His surname is Jia.
。
Mr Jia is the boss of this company.
。
There are two classmates in our class surnamed Jia.
。
The main characters in this novel are surnamed Jia.
。
Teacher Jia teaches us Chinese.
贾 (jiǎ) is a Chinese family name. It is common enough that you meet it in classrooms, offices and above all in fiction: the Jia household is the family at the centre of the classic novel 红楼梦.
The character has an older reading, gǔ, meaning a merchant or to trade. That sense survives in set phrases and in writing about history, and it explains the 贝 (money) component at the bottom of the character.
The trap is the two readings. As a surname it is jiǎ, third tone, and it sounds identical to 假 (fake). Context does the disambiguating, so listen for 姓 or a title such as 先生 or 老师 next to it. If you meet it in a classical text, check whether gǔ is meant.
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贾: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "贾" (Jia (a surname); merchant (archaic)): 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 58.