占
Lesson note · zhān / zhàn
The Character 占: Meanings, Structure & Sound Family
An independent verb and a prolific phonetic building block in Chinese
占zhānzhànpolyphonic character多音字occupydivination卜phonetic componentcharacter family
Meanings & Pronunciations
占 is a polyphonic character (多音字, duōyīnzì) with two pronunciations depending on context:
| Pronunciation | Meaning | Example word |
|---|---|---|
| zhàn · 4th tone · most common | To occupy / to take up / to constitute | 占有 · zhànyǒu · To occupy; 占用 · zhànyòng · To take up space or time |
| zhān · 1st tone | To divine / to fortune-tell | 占卜 · zhānbǔ · To practice divination |
Character Structure & Radical Details
- Pinyin
- zhàn / zhān
- Radical
- 卜卜部 (bǔ bù)—Divination / Fortune-telling Radical, 2 strokes
- Stroke count
- 5 strokes
Component breakdown
- Top part (semantic): 卜 (bǔ)—a divination crack.
- Bottom part (semantic): 口 (kǒu)—mouth or speech.
The original pictograph represents interpreting with the mouth (口) the cracks on an oracle bone (卜) to declare a prophecy or claim territory.
Phonetic Part: 占 in Other Characters
占 is a super-active phonetic component. When it appears inside another character, it usually imparts an -an or -ian final sound, such as zhān, zhàn, diǎn, or tiān.
These key HSK 1–3 characters use 占 as their phonetic core:
| Character | Pinyin | Semantic radical | Meaning | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 站 | zhàn | 立 · to stand | Station / stop / to stand | 车站 · chēzhàn · Bus / train station · HSK 2 |
| 点 | diǎn | 灬 · fire / dots | Point / o’clock / a little | 一点儿 · yìdiǎnr · A little · HSK 1 |
| 店 | diàn | 广 · shelter / house | Shop / store | 商店 · shāngdiàn · Store · HSK 1 |
| 贴 | tiē | 贝 · shell / money | To paste / to stick | 贴 · tiē · To stick / paste · HSK 3 |
| 战 | zhàn | 戈 · dagger-axe / weapon | War / battle / fight | 战争 · zhànzhēng · War |
| 钻 | zuān / zuàn | 钅 · metal | To drill / diamond | 钻石 · zuànshí · Diamond |