Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zai

[t͡sai̯]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.35 in modern English

Syllables
zai
IPA
[t͡sai̯]
12
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

extremely skilled; talented.

Etymology

From Hokkien 在 (chāi, “steady”); likely a shortening of Hokkien 在穩 /在稳 (chāi-ún, “experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”), in the sense of a person being solid, experienced, and collected under pressure.

Word Breakdown

Questions

How do you pronounce zai?
The recorded pronunciation is [t͡sai̯].
What does zai mean?
extremely skilled; talented.
Where does zai come from?
From Hokkien 在 (chāi, “steady”); likely a shortening of Hokkien 在穩 /在稳 (chāi-ún, “experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”), in the sense of a person being solid, experienced, and collected under pressure.

How to pronounce zai

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “zai”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([t͡sai̯]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “zai”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “zai” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.