打
dǎ/tä²¹⁴/
The Chinese word for 'hit' is 打 (dǎ).
The verb 打 is highly polysemous and can mean many things depending on the object, such as playing a ball game, making a phone call or typing on a keyboard.
Meaning: to administer a blow (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 打 (dǎ) is the common, everyday word for hitting, 打擊 / 打击 (dǎjī) is a more formal or literary term often used for a physical blow or a metaphorical blow (like a psychological strike).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of hitting has been completed, the aspect particle 了 is often added after the verb to form 打了.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is dǎ and the IPA is /tä²¹⁴/.
Did you know?
- The character 打 can be used as a shorthand for 'dozen', a term borrowed from the English word 'dozen' during the Ming period.
- The character 打 includes a radical on the left, the 'hand' radical 扌, which visually tells you the action involves the hands.
Examples in context
- 我沒想打你。I didn't mean to hit you.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of intent to hit someone using 打.Tatoeba #13138201 by LeviHighway, translation #2290413 by CK
- 汤姆先打了我。Tom hit me first.This sentence is useful for describing someone who hit the speaker first using 打.Tatoeba #8751408 by slo_oth, translation #2549246 by CK
- 他沒想要打我。He didn't mean to hit me.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone did not intend to hit the speaker using 打.Tatoeba #13138214 by LeviHighway, translation #2280871 by ichivivi20
- 打球To play ball
- 打电话To make a phone call
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a fight they saw at school.
- 俊杰 Junjie你看到他打那個人了嗎？Nǐ kàndào tā dǎ nàge rén le ma?Did you see him hit that person?
- 佳怡 Jiayi看到了，這太糟糕了。Kàndào le, zhè tài zāogāo le.I did, that was terrible.
- 俊杰 Junjie我不知道為什麼他要打他。Wǒ bù zhīdào wèishéme tā yào dǎ tā.I don't know why he wanted to hit him.
- 佳怡 Jiayi可能是他們在吵架。Kěnéng shì tāmen zài chǎojià.Maybe they were arguing.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 打, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 打, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
