卡 (kǎ) - card & to block

卡Tone 3

kǎ ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 卜

俊梁

卡 · kǎ

card;

to block;

checkpost;

calorie (abbreviation);

also read qiǎ for choke, clip, checkpost.

cardto blockcheckpost

Usage highlights

Credit cardBus cardMemory cardCard numberTo get stuckCheckpoint

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 通— to pass through
  • 顺— smooth

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I need a bank card (银行卡).
  • The traffic was blocked (卡住了).
  • This food has 200 calories (卡路里).
  • He works at a checkpoint (卡点).

Collocations

  • Credit card(信用卡)
  • Bus card(公交卡)
  • Memory card(存储卡)
  • Card number(卡号)
  • To get stuck(卡住)
  • Checkpoint(关卡)

Idioms

  • Stuck in a difficult position(卡脖子)
  • Stuck in the throat(卡喉咙)
  • Strategic pass(卡口要道)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally derived from the character 上 and 下, representing something stuck between up and down.
  • Modern usage heavily influenced by loanwords for 'card' from English.
  • Used in computing and technology contexts for various types of cards and blocking mechanisms.

FAQ