差 (chà) is a Chinese character meaning “not up to standard”. It is written from 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 三 (three) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 工 (work), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, chā, which turns up in 差别 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “poor; falls short”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丷 + 三 + 丿 + 工
Enclosing structure
- 丷 two spreading strokes unknown
- 三 three · sān unknown
- 丿 left-falling stroke unknown
- 工 work · gōng unknown
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 丷 / 2-4 三横 / 5 丿 / 6-8 工）
Memory aid
Two little marks (丷) sit on three stacked lines (三); one long sweep (丿) slides down past the work (工) tucked underneath. The lines never line up, the work falls short — that is 差.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 差不多chà bu duōalmost; about the same差 = chà
- 差劲chà jìnlousy; disappointing差 = chà
Go deeper
All readings
poor; to fall short
not up to standard; poor; inferior; to fall short of; to lack
不好，不符合标准；也表示欠缺、还少一些。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 差不多chà bu duōalmost; about the same差 = chà
- 差劲chà jìnlousy; disappointing差 = chà
difference
difference; disparity; the amount by which two things differ
两者之间不相同的地方；相减得到的数。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 差别chā biédifference; distinction差 = chā
- 差距chā jùgap; disparity; difference差 = chā
to send on an errand
to send someone on an official errand; an assignment away from one’s post
派人去办事；被派去办的公事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 出差chū chāito go on a business trip差 = chāi
Rare readings, not taught: cī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 差 mean?
差 (chà) means not up to standard; poor; inferior; to fall short of; to lack.
How do you pronounce 差?
Its main reading is chà. It also has a second reading, chā, which only shows up in certain words such as 差别 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 差 sometimes pronounced chā?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 差别 it is read chā.
What parts is 差 made of?
丷 (two spreading strokes) and 三 (three) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 工 (work), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 丷 / 2-4 三横 / 5 丿 / 6-8 工）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 差 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 差?
工. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 差?
Common ones are 差不多 and 差劲. The reading of 差 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.