错
wrong; mistake
cuò
What does 错 mean?
错 (cuò) is the everyday word for 'wrong / incorrect / mistaken,' the opposite of 对 (duì, 'right'). As an adjective: 你错了 ('you're wrong'), 这个字错了 ('this character is wrong'). As a verb complement after action verbs, 错 marks that the action was done incorrectly: 写错 ('wrote it wrong'), 说错 ('said it wrong'), 走错 ('went the wrong way'), 拿错 ('picked up the wrong one'). This pattern is extremely productive — almost any action verb can take 错 to mean 'do X mistakenly.' As a noun, 错 means 'mistake / fault' and pairs with 是…的 to assign blame: 是我的错 ('it's my fault')
Character breakdown
wrong; mistaken; mistake; (in 不错) decent / good
Memory hook: 错 = wrong. But 不错 ('not wrong') = pretty good. The double negative is more positive than 'okay' — Chinese understatement.
Example sentences
对不起，我错了。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ cuò le.
Sorry, I was wrong.
spoken
你写错了一个字。
Nǐ xiě cuò le yí gè zì.
You wrote one character wrong.
neutral
这家饭店不错。
Zhè jiā fàndiàn búcuò.
This restaurant is pretty good.
spoken
没错，就是这里。
Méi cuò, jiù shì zhèlǐ.
That's right, this is the place.
spoken
我走错路了。
Wǒ zǒu cuò lù le.
I went the wrong way.
spoken
Common phrases with 错
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错 appears in 1 podcast episode at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
不对 ('not right') is the most common spoken way to say something is wrong, often as a single-word reaction: 不对！ ('that's not right!'). 错 is the descriptive adjective: 这个答案错了 ('this answer is wrong'). Both common; 不对 reacts, 错 describes.
误 means 'mistake / err' but is more formal and appears in compounds: 错误 ('mistake'), 误会 ('misunderstanding'). 错 alone is the everyday spoken word; 误 is bound to compounds.
Don't confuse 错 with
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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