角

• Pinyin: jiǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 角 = pictograph of an animal horn, with two prongs at the top

Meaning

Corner; angle; a unit of Chinese currency equal to one-tenth of a yuan.

As a noun, 角 means corner or angle, used in words like 角落 (corner of a room) and 三角形 (triangle). As a monetary unit, one 角 equals one-tenth of a 元 (yuan), commonly called 毛 in spoken Chinese. The character also means 'horn' in literary contexts.

Examples

1. 这个东西三块五角钱。 This thing costs three yuan and five jiao.
2. 他站在房间的角落里。 He stood in the corner of the room.
3. 桌子的角撞到了我的腿。 The corner of the table bumped into my leg.

Usage Guide

Context: money, geometry, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 一共两元五角。(That's two yuan and five jiao in total.)
• 教室的角落里有一把椅子。(There is a chair in the corner of the classroom.)

Don't Say

• 在口语中说角而不说毛 (In casual spoken Chinese, people usually say 毛 instead of 角 for the monetary unit — 三毛钱 sounds more natural than 三角钱 in conversation)

Origin & History

角 is a pictograph originally depicting an animal horn. The meanings 'corner' and 'angle' derive from the pointed shape of a horn. The monetary meaning comes from horn-shaped tokens used in ancient trade.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal