zai

[t͡sai̯]

/[t͡sai̯]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"zai" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“zai” is uncommon English (frequency #63,389 among 2,810 “Z” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,389
frequency rank, English
2,810
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - extremely skilled; talented.

Key facts for zai
PropertyValue
Headwordzai
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[t͡sai̯]
Letters3
Frequency rank#63,389
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zai” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). zai lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

zai is uncommon English at frequency #63,389 among 2,810 “Z” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [t͡sai̯]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "extremely skilled; talented.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for zai, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hokkien 在 (chāi, “steady”); likely a shortening of Hokkien 在穩 /在稳 (chāi-ún, “experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”), in the sense of a person being solid, experienced, and collected under pressure. The correct English form is zai, spelled Z-A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    extremely skilled; talented.

Etymology

From Hokkien 在 (chāi, “steady”); likely a shortening of Hokkien 在穩 /在稳 (chāi-ún, “experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”), in the sense of a person being solid, experienced, and collected under pressure.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "zai"?
"zai" is spelled Z-A-I. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡sai̯].
What does "zai" mean?
As an adjective, "zai" means: extremely skilled; talented.
How do you pronounce "zai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zai" is [t͡sai̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "zai"?
From Hokkien 在 (chāi, “steady”); likely a shortening of Hokkien 在穩 /在稳 (chāi-ún, “experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”), in the sense of a person being solid, experienced, and collected under pressure. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “zai”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is Z-A-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [t͡sai̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list