Meaning
类 means 'type' or 'category' and is used to classify things into groups. It functions both as a noun meaning 'kind/type' and as a measure word for categories or types of things. It's commonly seen in compounds and used to organize information into classifications.
Usage
类 is frequently used in formal and semi-formal contexts to discuss categories, classifications, or types. It often appears in compounds like 种类 (types), 分类 (to classify), and 类似 (similar). As a measure word, it follows numbers to count types or categories. It's also commonly used in academic and technical writing.
Examples
- 01这家商店出售各种各类的商品。.This store sells all kinds of goods.
- 02我们需要把这些书按类别分类。.We need to classify these books by category.
Measure words
- 种三种类型
Common collocations
- 这一类this type/category
- 各种各类all kinds and types
- 人类humanity, mankind
- 同类same type, similar kind
Origin
The traditional form 類 is a semantic-phonetic compound with 米 (rice) as the semantic component and 頪 as the phonetic component, originally suggesting the classification or grouping of grain types.