错

• Pinyin: cuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 错 = 钅 (metal) + 昔 (formerly, phonetic) — interlaced, mixed up, wrong

Meaning

Wrong; incorrect; mistake. Indicates that something is not right or is an error.

Used as an adjective (这是错的, this is wrong), a verb complement (做错, to do incorrectly; 写错, to write incorrectly), and a noun (没有错, no mistake). The phrase 不错 (not bad) is a common compliment meaning 'pretty good'. Very useful in school and daily contexts.

Examples

1. 你写错了一个字。 You wrote one character wrong.
2. 这道题我做错了。 I got this question wrong.
3. 没关系，错了就改。 It's okay; just fix it if it's wrong.

Usage Guide

Context: school, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我说错了，对不起。(I misspoke; I'm sorry.)
• 这个不错。(This is pretty good.)

Don't Say

• 很错 to intensify 'wrong' (Don't say 很错 — say 大错特错 for 'very wrong' or just 错了 for 'wrong')

Origin & History

Composed of 钅 (metal radical) and 昔 (formerly, phonetic). The original meaning was related to interlacing metals, which extended to the idea of things being crossed or mixed up — hence 'wrong' or 'mistaken'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal