占
mostly supplies the sound (zhan · Character component
mostly supplies the sound (zhan, dian, zhan, nian, tie) rather than meaning, though at root it carries the idea of reading omens aloud
The top part 卜 is a picture of the crack that appeared in a heated tortoise shell or ox bone during divination — a vertical line with a short branch off it, exactly the shape you still see above the box. Below it 口 is a mouth, the diviner speaking the reading of that crack. So the whole graph shows someone pronouncing an omen; in the modern form the cracked shell sits right on top of the mouth. In nearly all the characters built on it, 占 is borrowed just for its sound, as in 店, 站, 贴 and 黏.
占 at a glance
- Meaning
- mostly supplies the sound (zhan
- Strokes
- 5
- Characters
- 28
- Role
- Usually contributes sound
Characters with 占 (23 of 28)
HSK 5 · 2
HSK 6 · 1
Beyond HSK · 17
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 占 mean?
占 means "mostly supplies the sound (zhan". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 占?
28 characters in this dictionary contain 占, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 5, HSK 6.
How many strokes does 占 have?
占 is written in 5 strokes.