卡片

• Pinyin: kǎ piàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 卡 = phonetic borrowing, resembles shape of a card; 片 = pictograph of a slice or thin piece

Meaning

Card; flashcard; notecard.

A small piece of stiff paper or plastic used for various purposes — business cards, ID cards, flashcards for studying, index cards for note-taking, greeting cards, etc. Very common in daily life, education, and business contexts. Collocates with 名片 (business card), 信用卡 (credit card), 学习 (study), 记录 (record).

Examples

1. 她把重点知识都写在卡片上，方便随时复习。 She wrote all the key points on flashcards for convenient review anytime.
2. 孩子们用彩色卡片做手工，剪成各种有趣的形状。 The children made crafts with colored cards, cutting them into various fun shapes.
3. 图书馆的卡片目录系统虽然老式，但仍有些学者喜欢使用。 Although the library's card catalog system is old-fashioned, some scholars still prefer using it.

Usage Guide

Context: study, office, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我用卡片背单词，效果挺好的。(I use flashcards to memorize vocabulary — it works pretty well.)
• 请在卡片上写下你的联系方式。(Please write your contact information on this card.)

Don't Say

• 我要给你一张卡片钱。(卡片 refers to physical cards, not money cards — for a gift card with money value, say 礼品卡 or 购物卡)

Origin & History

卡 (phonetic borrowing, also means to be stuck/blocked) + 片 (flat, thin piece). Literally a thin piece in card form.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal