Differences between “坐” and “座”

There are also other Chinese characters that share the pronunciation "zuò". The other two most commonly used characters are 坐 and 座, which are sometimes misused as well. However, differentiating between these two is a lot simpler.

发音"zuò"的汉字很多，这里介绍两个常见的汉字"坐"和"座"，有时候用起来混淆不清。其实，区分起来简单多了。

坐 can be used for all tenses of the "to sit" verb

"坐"可以用于动词"TO SIT" 的任何时态

Example: 我要坐在他的旁边 (Wǒ yào zuò zài tā de páng biān): I want to sit next to him. Here "坐" is used in the present tense. In Chinese, past/present/future tense is not dependent on the verb character, but the context clues within the sentence. For instance, "我昨天坐在那里 (Wǒ zuótiān zuò zài nàlǐ)" means "I sat there yesterday." "Yesterday" shows that this was a past event. If we take out "昨天" so the sentence becomes "我坐在那里 (Wǒ zuò zài nàlǐ)," it would mean "I sit there."

比如：我要坐在他的旁边 (Wǒ yào zuò zài tā de páng biān): I want to sit next to him. 这里，"坐"是现在时。汉语中，时态并不取决于动词，而是句子的上下文。比如，"我昨天坐在那里 (Wǒ zuótiān zuò zài nàlǐ)" "I sat there yesterday." "Yesterday"表明是过去的事件。如果把"昨天"去掉，那就变成"I sit there". 

座 is used to describe a place that can be sat on or a unit of measurement for large, immobile objects. 

"座"可用于形容某个可以坐的地方，或者作为大型、不可移动的物品的量词。

1. A PLACE TO SIT 坐的地方

你的座位在那里 (Nǐ de zuò wèi zài nà lǐ): Your seat is over there. "座位" shows the place is intended as a seat.

你的座位在那里 (Nǐ de zuò wèi zài nà lǐ): Your seat is over there. "座位"表示可以坐的地方。

2. UNIT OF MEASUREMENT 量词

我的家在那一座山后面 (Wǒ de jiā zài nà yīzuò shān hòumiàn): My house is behind that mountain. Here the unit of measurement applies to "mountain." Skyscrapers, cities, statues, towers and bridges can all measure by "座."

我的家在那一座山后面(Wǒ de jiā zài nà yīzuò shān hòumiàn): My house is behind that mountain. 这里的量词修饰"山"。 "座"还可以当做大厦、城市、雕塑、塔和桥的量词。

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