主 meaning and stroke order

zhǔ

Owner; master; host

HSK 2 5 strokes Radical 丶

Strokes5

Pinyinzhǔ

ToneTone 3

Frequency#262

Printable worksheet Practice all HSK 2 characters

How to write 主, stroke by stroke

5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.

Meaning of 主

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

zhǔthird tone (dipping)

owner
master
host
individual or party concerned
God
Lord

How 主 is built

Pictographic character. A lamp 王 with a flame 丶.

diǎndot+wángking or monarch

Radical: 丶 (dot), shared by 7 characters on this site.

How to remember 主

The etymology hint says 主 is a picture of a lamp, with 王 as the lamp stand and the dot 丶 on top as the flame. Picture the master of the house as the one who keeps the lamp burning, so 主 (zhǔ) means master, owner, or host.

主 rarely stands alone in daily speech. It mostly appears in words like 主人 (zhǔrén, owner; host), 主要 (zhǔyào, main), and 主意 (zhǔyi, idea). Example: 这是我的主意。(Zhè shì wǒ de zhǔyi.) This was my idea.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 主 with 王 (wáng, king) or 玉 (yù, jade). The dot in 主 sits on top, while 玉 has its dot at the lower right and 王 has no dot at all.

Common words with 主

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Level
主人	zhǔrén	owner; host	HSK 2
主要	zhǔyào	main; principal; major; primary	HSK 2
主意	zhǔyi	plan; idea	HSK 3
主任	zhǔrèn	director; head	HSK 3
主动	zhǔdòng	to take the initiative; to do sth of one's own accord	HSK 3
主持	zhǔchí	to take charge of; to manage or direct	HSK 3
主张	zhǔzhāng	to advocate; to stand for	HSK 3
自主	zìzhǔ	to act independently; to be autonomous; to be in control of one's own affairs	HSK 3
主席	zhǔxí	chairperson; premier	HSK 4
主题	zhǔtí	theme; subject	HSK 4
主管	zhǔguǎn	in charge; responsible for	HSK 5
主导	zhǔdǎo	leading; dominant	HSK 5
为主	wéizhǔ	to rely mainly on; to attach most importance to	HSK 5
车主	chēzhǔ	vehicle owner	HSK 5

主 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ对duì自zì己jǐ说shuō，“那nà是shì个gè好hǎo主zhǔ意yì。”

I said to myself, "That's a good idea."

主zhǔ要yào问wèn题tí是shì什shén么me时shí候hòu开kāi始shǐ。

When to start is the main problem.

她tā告gào诉sù我wǒ她tā喜xǐ欢huān我wǒ的de主zhǔ意yì。

She told me she liked my idea.

外wài交jiāo部bù长zhǎng是shì个gè没méi主zhǔ见jiàn的de人rén。

The Foreign Minister was a puppet.

他tā把bǎ自zì己jǐ当dàng成chéng了le这zhè里lǐ的de主zhǔ人rén。

He acted like he owned the place.

Characters that contain 主

Learning 主 makes these easier to recognize and write.

住zhùto live 注zhùto pour into 驻zhùto halt 柱zhùto lean on 註zhùto concentrate 蛀zhùtermite 駐zhùstable 拄zhǔto lean on

Questions about 主

How many strokes are in 主?

主 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 主 mean?

主 (zhǔ) means owner; master; host. A common word with it is 主人 (zhǔrén), meaning "owner; host".

How do you pronounce 主?

主 is pronounced zhǔ, in the third tone (dipping).

What is the radical of 主?

The radical of 主 is 丶, which carries the idea of "dot". Dictionaries list 主 under this radical.

Is 主 on the HSK exam?

Yes. 主 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.

Why is the 意 in 主意 often pronounced without a tone?

In everyday speech 主意 is usually said as zhǔyi, with a neutral tone on the second syllable. You will also hear zhǔyì, especially in careful speech, and both are understood.

How is 主 used in religious contexts?

Christians use 主 (zhǔ) to mean the Lord or God, as in 主耶稣 (Zhǔ Yēsū, Lord Jesus). This sense comes from the basic meaning of master or lord.