住 meaning and stroke order
To live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state)
How to write 住, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 住
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to live; to reside; to stay
- to stop; to cease
- (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state)
How 住 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 who hosts 主; 主 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 住
A person 亻 stands next to the host 主 (zhǔ), the master of the house. Where the host lives is where a person 住 (zhù) stays, and 主 also gives the sound.
住 is the everyday verb for where you live, often with 在: 你住在哪儿？(Nǐ zhù zài nǎr?) Where do you live? After another verb it works as a result complement showing something is held firmly or fixed in place, as in 记住 (jìzhù) to remember and 抓住 (zhuāzhù) to grab hold of.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 住 (zhù) with 往 (wǎng, toward), which has the double-person radical 彳 instead of 亻 and a different right side. Also, 住 means to reside, so do not use it for being alive. That is 活 (huó) or 生活 (shēnghuó).
Common words with 住
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 记住 | jìzhù | to remember; to bear in mind | HSK 1 |
| 站住 | zhànzhù | to come to a stop; to halt; to keep one's footing; to stay upright | HSK 2 |
| 住院 | zhùyuàn | to stay in hospital; to be hospitalized | HSK 2 |
| 住房 | zhùfáng | housing | HSK 2 |
| 抓住 | zhuāzhù | to grab hold of; to capture | HSK 3 |
| 居住 | jūzhù | to reside; to dwell | HSK 4 |
| 忍不住 | rěn bu zhù | cannot help; unable to bear | HSK 5 |
| 住宅 | zhùzhái | residence; dwelling; abode | HSK 6 |
| 住处 | zhùchù | residence; dwelling | HSK 7-9 |
| 住址 | zhùzhǐ | address | HSK 7-9 |
| 住宿 | zhùsù | to stay at; lodging | HSK 7-9 |
| 住户 | zhùhù | household; inhabitant | HSK 7-9 |
| 禁不住 | jīnbuzhù | can't help it; can't bear it | HSK 7-9 |
| 衣食住行 | yī-shí-zhù-xíng | (lit.) clothing, food, housing and transportation (idiom); (fig.) people's basic needs | HSK 7-9 |
住 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 住
How many strokes are in 住?
住 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 住 mean?
住 (zhù) means to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state). A common word with it is 记住 (jìzhù), meaning "to remember; to bear in mind".
How do you pronounce 住?
住 is pronounced zhù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 住?
The radical of 住 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 住 under this radical.
Is 住 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 住 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 住 and 居住?
住 (zhù) is the common spoken word for living somewhere or staying the night. 居住 (jūzhù) is more formal and appears in writing, news, and official documents, such as describing where a population resides.
Why does 住 appear in phrases like 忍不住 and 记不住?
Here 住 is a result complement meaning the action holds firm. Putting 不 in the middle shows inability, so 记不住 (jì bu zhù) means cannot remember and 忍不住 (rěn bu zhù) means cannot hold back. In these phrases 住 is usually said in the neutral tone.