(kǒu dài) - pocket; bag, sack in Mandarin
kǒudàiTraditional: 口袋
Translation
pocket; bag, sack
Word origin
A compound of 口 (kǒu, mouth, opening) and 袋 (dài, bag), so a bag with an opening, first a sack and later the pocket sewn into a garment.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 口 (kǒu, mouth, opening) + 袋 (dài, bag; 代 phonetic + 衣 clothing)
Stroke order
口
袋
Examples
。
He put the money into his pocket.
。
There is a key in my pocket.
。
These trousers have no pockets.
。
She took her phone out of her pocket.
，。
Careful, there is a hole in your pocket.
口袋 (kǒu dài) is the pocket in a coat or a pair of trousers, and in northern speech it is also a plain sack or bag. Context settles which, and the clothing sense is far the commoner one in everyday talk.
The grammar to fix is the location suffix. Chinese needs 里 to say "in": 在口袋里, 从口袋里拿出来. Dropping it, as English does with a bare "in my pocket", is the most frequent learner slip with this word.
For the money sense English speakers reach for, Chinese usually says it a different way. "Out of pocket" and "deep pockets" do not translate through 口袋; use 自己出钱 and 有钱 respectively.
Where this fits
Used in
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口袋: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "口袋" (pocket; bag, sack): 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 50.