区 meaning and stroke order
Area; region; district
How to write 区, stroke by stroke
4 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 区
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- area
- region
- district
- small
- distinguish
How 区 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A place 匸 under a lord's control 乂.
Radical: 匸 (box), shared by 8 characters on this site.
How to remember 区
Picture 匸 as a three-sided boundary, like walls marking off a piece of land, and 乂 as the lord who controls what is inside. A fenced-off place under someone's control is an area or district, 区 (qū).
区 (qū) is used for areas of all sizes, from city districts to whole regions, and it often appears as the last part of a place word like 市区 (shìqū) or 山区 (shānqū). It also means "to distinguish" in the common word 区别 (qūbié). Example: 我住在郊区。(Wǒ zhù zài jiāoqū.) I live in the suburbs.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 区 (qū) with 匹 (pǐ, a measure word for horses) because both sit inside the same open box. Check the inside: 区 has a cross-like 乂, while 匹 has 儿-like strokes. Also write the box frame first, then 乂, and finish with the bottom stroke last.
Common words with 区
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 地区 | dìqū | region; area (informal or geographical term); prefecture (in China's administrative system | HSK 3 |
| 区别 | qūbié | difference; to distinguish | HSK 3 |
| 市区 | shìqū | urban district; downtown | HSK 4 |
| 区域 | qūyù | area; region | HSK 5 |
| 社区 | shèqū | community; neighborhood | HSK 5 |
| 郊区 | jiāoqū | suburban district; outskirts; suburbs | HSK 5 |
| 山区 | shānqū | mountain area | HSK 5 |
| 灾区 | zāiqū | disaster area; stricken region | HSK 5 |
| 区分 | qūfēn | to differentiate; to draw a distinction | HSK 6 |
| 城区 | chéngqū | city district; urban area | HSK 6 |
| 禁区 | jìnqū | restricted area; forbidden zone; off-limits area | HSK 7-9 |
| 小区 | xiǎoqū | housing estate; community; neighborhood; (telecommunications) cell | HSK 7-9 |
| 景区 | jǐngqū | scenic area | HSK 7-9 |
| 误区 | wùqū | mistaken ideas; misconceptions; the error of one's ways | HSK 7-9 |
区 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 区
Learning 区 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 区
How many strokes are in 区?
区 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 区 mean?
区 (qū) means area; region; district. A common word with it is 地区 (dìqū), meaning "region; area (informal or geographical term); prefecture (in China's administrative system".
How do you pronounce 区?
区 is pronounced qū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 区?
The radical of 区 is 匸, which carries the idea of "box". Dictionaries list 区 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 区?
The traditional form of 区 is 區. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 区 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 区 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 区 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 2.
What is the difference between 区 and 地区?
区 alone usually names a specific administrative district, like 海淀区 (Hǎidiàn Qū) in Beijing. 地区 (dìqū) is a broader word for a region or area in general, such as 亚洲地区 (Yàzhōu dìqū), the Asian region.
How do you say "What is the difference?" using 区?
You can say 有什么区别？(Yǒu shénme qūbié?) or ask about two things with A和B有什么区别？ Here 区别 (qūbié) works as a noun meaning difference, and it can also be a verb meaning to tell apart.