甲

jiǎ

HSK 5

甲 — jiǎ

1. the first of the ten Heavenly Stems (used in traditional calendrical and ordering systems)

   今年是甲子年。 jīnnián shì jiǎzinián — This year is the jiazi year (first year of the 60‑year cycle).

2. (used to indicate an unspecified person or thing; "A" as in "A or B")

   甲方和乙方已经签了合同。 jiǎfāng hé yǐfāng yǐjīng qiān le hétóng — Party A and Party B have already signed the contract.

3. first (in a list or ranking); equivalent to letter "A" or Roman numeral "I"

   请把答案按甲乙丙丁排序。 qǐng bǎ dáàn àn jiǎyǐbǐngdīng páixù — Please sort the answers as A, B, C, D.

4. armor plating; shell; carapace

   古代战士穿着铁甲上阵。 gǔdài zhànshì chuānzhe tiějiǎ shàngzhèn — Ancient warriors went into battle wearing iron armor.

5. fingernail or toenail

   她的指甲长得很快，得常剪。 tā de zhǐjiǎ zhǎng dé hěnkuài dé cháng jiǎn — Her fingernails grow quickly and need frequent trimming.

6. an old type of bladed leather or metal armor (historical)

   博物馆里展出一套古代将军的铠甲。 bówùguǎn lǐ zhǎnchū yītào gǔdài jiāngjūn de kǎijiǎ — The museum displays a set of armor worn by an ancient general.

7. a ranking system used in the imperial examinations (historical)

   他在科举中获得了甲等的成绩。 tā zài kējǔ zhōng huòdé le jiǎděng de chéngjì — He obtained a first‑rank result in the imperial examinations.

8. civil administration unit in the baojia (bao‑jia) system (historical)

   保甲制度把村庄分成若干甲，以便管理。 bǎojiǎ zhìdù bǎ cūnzhuāng fēnchéng ruògān jiǎ yǐbiàn guǎnlǐ — The baojia system divided villages into several jia units for administration.

9. ancient compass point corresponding to 75°

   古地图上标明甲方位为七十五度。 gǔdìtú shàng biāomíng jiǎ fāngwèi wèi qīshíwǔ dù — Old maps mark the jia direction at 75°.