剧 meaning and stroke order
Theatrical work (play, opera, TV series etc); dramatic (change, increase etc); acute
How to write 剧, stroke by stroke
10 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 剧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- theatrical work (play, opera, TV series etc)
- dramatic (change, increase etc)
- acute
- severe
How 剧 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 居 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 剧
剧 is pictophonetic: 居 (jū, to reside) gives the sound and 刂 (knife) gives the meaning. Picture a sharp knife cutting into a quiet home, a sudden, dramatic scene like something from a play.
剧 most often means a play or show and appears at the end of genre words like 电视剧 (diànshìjù) and 京剧 (jīngjù). It can also describe a sharp, severe change, as in 剧烈 (jùliè) or 剧增. Example: 我每天晚上看电视剧。(Wǒ měitiān wǎnshang kàn diànshìjù.) I watch TV dramas every evening.
Common mistake: Learners often say jū because the phonetic part 居 is read jū, but 剧 is fourth tone, jù. Also do not mix it up with 据 (jù, according to), which has the hand radical 扌 on the left instead of 刂 on the right.
Common words with 剧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 剧场 | jùchǎng | theater | HSK 3 |
| 电视剧 | diànshìjù | TV series; TV drama | HSK 3 |
| 连续剧 | liánxùjù | TV series | HSK 3 |
| 话剧 | huàjù | stage play; modern drama | HSK 3 |
| 京剧 | jīngjù | Beijing opera | HSK 3 |
| 剧本 | jùběn | script; screenplay; scenario; libretto | HSK 5 |
| 悲剧 | bēijù | tragedy | HSK 5 |
| 戏剧 | xìjù | a drama; a play; theater; script of a play | HSK 5 |
| 喜剧 | xǐjù | a comedy | HSK 5 |
| 剧院 | jùyuàn | theater | HSK 7-9 |
| 歌剧 | gējù | Western opera | HSK 7-9 |
| 编剧 | biānjù | to write a play; scenario | HSK 7-9 |
| 剧情 | jùqíng | story line; plot | HSK 7-9 |
| 剧烈 | jùliè | violent; acute; severe; fierce | HSK 7-9 |
剧 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 剧
How many strokes are in 剧?
剧 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 剧 mean?
剧 (jù) means theatrical work (play, opera, TV series etc); dramatic (change, increase etc); acute. A common word with it is 剧场 (jùchǎng), meaning "theater".
How do you pronounce 剧?
剧 is pronounced jù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 剧?
The radical of 剧 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 剧 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 剧?
The traditional form of 剧 is 劇. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 剧 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 剧 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 剧 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 剧 and 戏?
Both relate to drama, and together they form 戏剧 (xìjù). 剧 is common in formal or compound words like 话剧 and 剧本, while 戏 (xì) is more colloquial, as in 看戏 (kàn xì, to watch a show).
How is 剧 used to mean severe?
In this sense 剧 describes intensity, often of pain or change. Common words include 剧烈 (jùliè, intense), 剧痛 (jùtòng, severe pain), and 加剧 (jiājù, to intensify).