差
chà
bad; poor; inferior
Every meaning
chà
- bad; poor; inferior
- wrong; mistaken (as in 说差了)
- to lack; to fall short of
chā
- difference; discrepancy (as in 差别, 差距)
chāi
- errand; mission (as in 出差)
- to send (on an errand)
cī
- (used in 参差) uneven; irregular
In a sentence
这家饭店的服务很差。
The service at this restaurant is poor.
还差五分钟到八点。
It's five minutes to eight.
Written by Claude and checked by our reader.
In the Library
四”听起来很像“死”，一个是第四声，一个是第三声，只差一个声调。
Words with 差
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).