(zāo gāo) - terrible, awful, oh no in Mandarin
zāogāoTraditional: 糟糕
Translation
terrible, awful, oh no
Test yourself on 糟糕
Three quick questions. No account needed.
Know this word? Create a free account to track it.
Word origin
糟糕 (zāogāo) literally means 'spoiled cakes', used figuratively for 'terrible, what a mess'. 糟 'dregs, to spoil' is a phono-semantic compound of 米 (mǐ, 'grain' radical) with 曹 (cáo) as phonetic; 糕 'cake' pairs the same 米 radical with 羔 (gāo, 'lamb') as phonetic.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 糟 (米 grain radical + 曹 phonetic) + 糕 (米 grain radical + 羔 phonetic)
Stroke order
糟
糕
Examples
，。
Oh no, I forgot to bring my wallet.
。
The weather is really awful.
。
The situation is worse than imagined.
，。
Oh no, I forgot to bring my keys.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Meet this word in a story
Every course has graded stories written only with words you have been taught, plus grammar drills, a games arcade and printable worksheets. Chapters 1 and 2 are free.
Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.
Mandarin · Free printables
糟糕: worksheet, infographic and listicleThe padlock and Plus mark show a Kilo Lingo Plus feature. Start your free week to unlock it - no card needed.
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "糟糕" (terrible, awful, oh no): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Part of Kilo Lingo Plus
Printables beyond chapters 1 and 2 are part of Kilo Lingo Plus. Sign up free and start your free week to download as many as you like: no card.
Start your free week (no card)This word is taught in chapter 9, lesson 8: 糟糕, 为何, 留在 and 7 more words.