Chinese Character Wiki
在

zài

be at

Composed of 才 and 士, which both represent the sound.

Components
才 sound component

才  Sound component

cái

  

talent

士 sound component

士  Sound component

shì

  

scholar, soldier

Modern form looks like 土, but is unrelated.

Evolution

在 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
在 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
在 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
在 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
在 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

在  

zài

be at, in, on; consist in, rest; (located) at; (to be) in; to exist; in the middle of doing sth; (indicating an action in progress)

Most common words with 在
Freq.
Word
Meaning

在

(located) at

现在

now

正在

just at (that time)

存在

to exist

实在

really

Component uses

Sound component in 1 character (0 verified)

茬

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*[dz]ˤəʔ

dzojX

zài

be at, be present


Statistics

HSK level 1

Appears in 99.9840% of movies

12th most common character in movies

6th most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

6

Unicode

U+5728

Shuowen

“在，存也。从土，才聲。”


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