插 (chā): to insert, stick in, pierce
插 (chā) is a Chinese character meaning “to insert.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (semantic) and 臿 (phonetic). It ranks #1486 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 插 hand. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to insert
- stick in
- pierce
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 插 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 插
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 插手verb | chā shǒu | to get involved in |
| 插入verb | chā rù | to insert |
| 插嘴verb | chā zuǐ | to interrupt (sb talking) |
| 插头noun | chā tóu | plug |
| 插曲noun | chā qǔ | music played during a movie, play etc |
| 插管verb | chā guǎn | (medicine) to intubate |
| 安插verb | ān chā | to place in a certain position |
| 插图noun | chā tú | illustration |
| 插队verb | chā duì | to cut in line |
| 插花verb | chā huā | flower arranging |
| 插销noun | chā xiāo | bolt (for locking a window, cabinet etc) |
| 插话verb | chā huà | to interrupt (sb speaking) |
| 插画noun | chā huà | illustration |
| 两肋插刀phrase | liǎng lèi chā dāo | (lit.) to take knives in both sides (idiom) |
| 插足verb | chā zú | to squeeze in |
插 appears in 66 compound words: 61 as the first character, 15 as the last, and 24 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 插 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (7)
Example Sentences
请把电源插头插入插座，然后打开开关。
Qǐng bǎ diànyuán chātóu chārù chāzuò, ránhòu dǎkāi kāiguān.
Please plug the power cord into the socket, then turn on the switch.
女生聊天喜欢插嘴巴的原因,从沟通角度分析
nǚ shēng liáo tiān xǐ huān chā zuǐ bā de yuán yīn , cóng gōu tōng jiǎo dù fēn xī
The reasons why girls like to interject in chat are analyzed from a communication perspective
女生说话喜欢插嘴巴的原因,健康社交习惯探讨
nǚ shēng shuō huà xǐ huān chā zuǐ bā de yuán yīn , jiàn kāng shè jiāo xí guàn tàn tǎo
The reasons why girls like to interject when talking are discussed for healthy social habits
临沂油站插队风波 女子肉身拦车
lín 沂 yóu zhàn chā duì fēng bō nǚ zǐ ròu shēn lán chē
Linyi gas station jumped the queue turmoil, and the woman stopped the car physically
花莲第一间! 藏寿司首度进军东台湾 插旗“日出香榭大道”征才中
huā lián dì yī jiān ! zàng shòu sī shǒu dù jìn jūn dōng tái wān chā qí rì chū xiāng 榭 dà dào zhēng cái zhōng
The first room in Hualien! Tibetan sushi entered eastern Taiwan for the first time and planted the flag on the "Sunrise Champs-Élysées" recruitment
全台最夯熟客制壽司「鮨 天本」插旗倫敦 海外餐價、預約方式曝光
quán tái zuì 夯 shú kè zhì 壽 sī 鮨 tiān běn chā qí 倫 dūn hǎi wài cān 價 預 約 fāng shì pù guāng
Sushi Tenbon, Taiwan's Hottest Sushi Spot for Regulars, Opens in London Overseas Pricing and Reservation Details Revealed
吉姆将钥匙插入门锁。
Jí mǔ jiāng yàoshi chārù ménsuǒ.
Jim put the key into the lock.
插头插到插座里了吗？
Chātóu chā dào chāzuò lǐ le ma?
Is the power cord plugged into a power outlet?
这本书有精美的插图。
Zhè běn shū yǒu jīngměi de chātú.
This book is beautifully illustrated.
我说话的时候请你不要插嘴。
Wǒ shuōhuà de shíhou qǐng nǐ bù yào chāzuǐ.
Please don't interrupt me while I'm talking.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 插 (chā)?
Is 插 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 插 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.