The character 住 — “live”: how to write it and what it means
live, reside
The Chinese character 住 is read zhù and means “live, reside”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 住
住 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 住, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 住 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 住
- 住院be hospitalizedHSK 3
- 入住check inHSK 4
- 住房housingHSK 5
- 居住resideHSK 5
- 住址home addressHSK 5
- 住宿accommodation, lodgingHSK 5
- 住宅residence, dwellingHSK 6
- 衣食住行clothing, food, housing, transportHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 住?
住 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 住 mean?
住 means “live, reside”. It appears in 住院 (“be hospitalized”), 入住 (“check in”), 住房 (“housing”), 居住 (“reside”).
How do you pronounce 住?
住 is read zhù. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 住 have?
7 strokes.
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 住 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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