照

• Pinyin: zhào
• Hanzi breakdown: 照 = 昭 (bright, phonetic) + 灬 (fire radical at bottom), meaning to shine or illuminate

Meaning

To illuminate; to photograph; according to. Functions as a verb for shining light or taking photos, and as a preposition meaning in accordance with.

A versatile character with multiple meanings. As a verb, it can mean 'to shine' (照亮), 'to look in a mirror' (照镜子), or 'to take a photo' (照相/照片). As a preposition, similar to 按照, it means 'according to' or 'in accordance with.' Very common in everyday Chinese across all these uses.

Examples

1. 你能帮我照一张照片吗？ Can you take a photo for me?
2. 太阳照在湖面上，非常漂亮。 The sun shines on the lake surface, and it's very beautiful.
3. 请照我说的方法做。 Please do it the way I described.

Usage Guide

Context: photography, everyday, instructions

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我们一起照张相吧！(Let's take a photo together!)
• 照这个方向走就到了。(Go in this direction and you'll get there.)

Don't Say

• 我想照一下这本书。(Don't use 照 to mean 'to read' or 'to look at' a book — use 看; 照 with objects implies photographing or shining light on them)

Origin & History

Originally a pictophonetic character combining 灬 (fire radical) for meaning and 昭 for sound. The original meaning was 'to illuminate with fire,' later extended to photography and other uses.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal