The character 努 — “strive”: how to write it and what it means

努
nǔ

strive, exert oneself

7 strokes · HSK 3

The Chinese character 努 is read nǔ and means “strive, exert oneself”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 努

努 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 努, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 努 is made of

Below, 力 “strength”; on top, 奴 nú hints at the sound.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 努

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 努?

努 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 努 mean?

努 means “strive, exert oneself”. It appears in 努力 (“try hard”).

How do you pronounce 努?

努 is read nǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 努 have?

7 strokes.

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More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 努 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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