丫 (yā) - fork & bifurcation

丫Tone 1

yā ｜ 3 strokes ｜ radical: 丨

信嫣

丫 · yā

fork;

bifurcation;

slang for girl (especially in Southern China);

maid servant

forkbifurcationslang for girl (especially in Southern China)

Usage highlights

little girltree branchbifurcationservant girlforkedY

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 男— male (antonym in gender context)
  • 合— join; combine (antonym to fork)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The tree has many branches (树丫).
  • She is a little girl (小丫头).
  • The river forks here (河丫口).

Collocations

  • little girl(丫头)
  • tree branch(树丫)
  • bifurcation(丫杈)
  • servant girl(丫环)
  • forked(丫形的)
  • Y-shaped(Y字形的)

Idioms

  • Yellow-haired little girl(黄毛丫头)
  • Hair in two buns(丫髻)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a forked branch or bifurcation, resembling the shape of the character.
  • In Southern Chinese dialects, commonly used to refer to young girls, derived from the hairstyle with two buns resembling the character shape.
  • Historically used to refer to maids or servant girls in wealthy households.

FAQ