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Chinese Copilot

错cuòmistake; wrong; bad

HSK 2word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

错 (cuò) means "wrong," "mistaken," or "a mistake." Alone it describes something incorrect; after a verb it forms a result complement meaning the action was done wrongly, as in 写错了 for "wrote it wrong" or 说错了 for "said it wrong."

What does 错 mean?

  1. 1.

    mistake; wrong; badadjective

What does the character 错 mean?

  • 错mistake; wrong; bad

How do you use 错?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    Verb + 错 + 了 (+ Obj.)

    Attach 错 after a verb as a result complement to say the action was performed incorrectly.

Use 错 as a predicate for "wrong," or stick it right after a verb when the mistake is the result of that action.

Patterns

  • 是错的

    这是错的。

    Zhè shì cuò de.

    This is wrong.

  • Verb + 错了

    你写错了。

    Nǐ xiě cuò le.

    You wrote it wrong.

What are some examples of 错 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    这是错的。

    Zhè shì cuò de.

    This is wrong.

  2. HSK 1

    你写错了。

    Nǐ xiě cuò le.

    You wrote it wrong.

  3. HSK 1

    对不起，我说错了。

    Duìbuqǐ, wǒ shuō cuò le.

    Sorry, I said it wrong.

  4. HSK 1

    这个字写错了。

    Zhège zì xiě cuò le.

    This character was written wrong.

How is 错 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    这样对吗？

    Zhèyàng duì ma?

    Is this right?

  2. Speaker B:

    这是错的。

    Zhè shì cuò de.

    This is wrong.

  3. Speaker A:

    我写错了吗？

    Wǒ xiě cuò le ma?

    Did I write it wrong?

  4. Speaker B:

    对，你写错了。

    Duì, nǐ xiě cuò le.

    Yes, you wrote it wrong.

  5. Speaker A:

    对不起，我说错了。

    Duìbuqǐ, wǒ shuō cuò le.

    Sorry, I said it wrong.

  6. Speaker B:

    没关系。

    Méiguānxi.

    It's all right.

Can you use 错 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 这是___的。
  2. 2.Which means "You wrote it wrong"?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 对不起，我说___了。

What should you learn next?

Related words

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.