处罚

chǔ fá

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Verb Uncommon

Definitions

1. to penalize
2. to punish

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 奖赏 jiǎng shǎng 奖赏 jiǎng shǎng reward; prize; award To reward, opposite of punishing.: reward; prize; award

Register variants

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• 处分 chǔ fèn 处分 chǔ fèn to discipline sb More formal, often used in official or organizational disciplinary actions.: to discipline sb

Related words

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• 罚款 fá kuǎn 罚款 fá kuǎn to fine A fine, one common form of 处罚.: to fine

Synonyms

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• 惩罚 chéng fá 惩罚 chéng fá penalty Both mean to punish, but 处罚 is often lighter, like a fine or disciplinary action.: penalty

Usage notes

Common mistakes

处罚 usually refers to a penalty imposed by an authority (law, school, company), not personal revenge or divine punishment. Use 惩罚 for more general or abstract punishment.

Formality

处罚 is standard in legal and official contexts. In casual speech, people may simply say 罚 (fá).

Example Sentences

1 shown

交通违规会受到 处罚 。

Traffic violations will be punished.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 处罚

• 罚 罚 fá: to punish
• 处 处 chǔ: to reside
• 处 处 chù: place