劫 meaning and stroke order
To rob; to plunder; to seize by force
How to write 劫, 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.
- 1
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- 4
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- 7
Meaning of 劫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to rob
- to plunder
- to seize by force
- to coerce
- calamity
- abbr. for kalpa 劫波[jie2 bo1]
How 劫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Strength.
力 gives the meaning and 去 hints at the sound.
Radical: 力 (strength), shared by 44 characters on this site.
How to remember 劫
劫 is made of 去 (qù, to go) and 力 (lì, strength). Think of someone using force 力 to make your money go away 去, which is robbery.
劫 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and usually appears in words like 抢劫 (qiǎngjié, to rob), 劫持 (jiéchí, to hijack) and 浩劫 (hàojié, catastrophe). It covers both the act of robbing and the idea of a disaster you must live through. Example: 他在车祸中逃过一劫。(Tā zài chēhuò zhōng táoguò yī jié.) He survived the car accident.
Common mistake: Learners often write 劫 with 刀 or 刂 on the right, mixing it up with older variant forms or with 却 (què), which has 卩 instead of 力. Remember the right side is 力 (strength), and the left is 去.
Common words with 劫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 抢劫 | qiǎngjié | to rob; looting | HSK 7-9 |
| 劫持 | jiéchí | to kidnap; to hijack | HSK 7-9 |
| 浩劫 | hàojié | calamity; catastrophe | HSK 7-9 |
| 打劫 | dǎjié | to loot; to rob | |
| 劫匪 | jiéfěi | bandit; robber | |
| 抢劫案 | qiǎngjié'àn | robbery; holdup | |
| 洗劫 | xǐjié | to loot; to ransack; to pillage | |
| 逃过一劫 | táoguòyījié | (idiom) to survive a calamity; to get through a crisis | |
| 劫机 | jiéjī | hijacking; air piracy | |
| 劫车 | jiéchē | to carjack; carjacking | |
| 洗劫一空 | xǐjiéyīkōng | to steal everything |
劫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 劫
How many strokes are in 劫?
劫 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 劫 mean?
劫 (jié) means to rob; to plunder; to seize by force. A common word with it is 抢劫 (qiǎngjié), meaning "to rob; looting".
How do you pronounce 劫?
劫 is pronounced jié, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 劫?
The radical of 劫 is 力, which carries the idea of "strength". Dictionaries list 劫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 劫?
The traditional form of 劫 is 刦, 刧 and 刼. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 劫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 劫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 劫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 抢劫 and 打劫?
Both mean to rob. 抢劫 (qiǎngjié) is the standard word used in news and law, as in 抢劫案 (robbery case). 打劫 (dǎjié) sounds more casual or old-fashioned, like something a bandit shouts in a story.
Why does 劫 also mean disaster?
劫 is used as an abbreviation of 劫波 (jiébō), the Buddhist term kalpa, a vast cycle of time that ends in destruction. From this came the sense of calamity, seen in 浩劫 (hàojié) and 逃过一劫 (táoguò yī jié).