塔
tǎ · pagoda / tower💡 How to pronounce
t → like the 't' in 'top'. ǎ → like 'ah' but with a falling-rising tone.
📖 The Story
塔 is a pagoda — a multi-tiered tower that rises toward the sky. The character originally came from Sanskrit (stupa), a Buddhist monument for storing relics. Pagodas are everywhere in China — some are made of wood, some of stone, some of brick.
🎬 In Culture Today
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔) in Xi'an is one of China's most famous landmarks. In Chinese cinema, pagodas are often the setting for the final battle — the hero and villain fight at the top, while the world watches from below.
📝 Example Sentences
大雁塔在西安。
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is in Xi'an.
塔很高。
The pagoda is very tall.