How to Write 轧 (gá/yà/zhá) — Meaning “To roll, crush, or run over”

Picture a car (车) with a giant hook (乚) that rolls over and crushes objects on the road. Imagine the hook grabbing a tin can and flattening it — that action captures the meaning of 'crush' or 'run over'.

Write the left radical 车 first: horizontal line, left-falling stroke, horizontal line, then vertical line. Then add the right side as one stroke: a horizontal line that turns down and curves left into a hook. Keep the left side narrow and the right hook short — a common mistake is making the hook too long or curved.

车 is a standalone character meaning 'vehicle' or 'car', while 轧 uses 车 as a radical and adds a hook. 轨 means 'rail' or 'track' and uses 车 plus 九 (nine). Visually, 轧 has a simple hook on the right, while 轨 has the character 九. In meaning, 轧 is about crushing or strolling, 轨 is about a path for trains.

轧 appears in casual phrases like 轧马路 (yà mǎ lù, 'stroll the streets'), often used for a romantic walk. It also means 'internal conflict' in 倾轧 (qīng yà) and 'to balance accounts' in 轧账 (gá zhàng). Note that pronunciation varies: 轧马路 uses yà, while 轧账 uses gá.

Common words containing 轧 include: 轧马路 (yà mǎ lù) — To stroll along the streets; 倾轧 (qīng yà) — internal strife; to push each other out; 轧账 (gá zhàng) — To balance accounts.