咎 meaning and stroke order
Fault, defect; error, mistake
How to write 咎, stroke by stroke
8 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 咎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fault
- to blame
- to punish
- calamity
- misfortune
How 咎 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 处 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 咎
咎 (jiù) puts 处 on top of a mouth 口. The data marks 口 (mouth) as the meaning part, so picture a mouth speaking out blame for someone's fault.
咎 is literary and mostly appears in set phrases about blame or fault, not in everyday speech. The most common is the idiom 咎由自取: 他的失败是咎由自取。(Tā de shībài shì jiùyóuzìqǔ.) His failure is his own fault.
Common mistake: Learners often misread 咎 as the common word 各 (gè, each) or confuse it with 答 (dá, answer) because of the similar shapes with 口 at the bottom. Also remember the tone is fourth, jiù, the same as 就 (jiù) and 旧 (jiù).
Common words with 咎
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 咎由自取 | jiùyóuzìqǔ | (idiom) to have only oneself to blame; to bring trouble through one's own actions |
咎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 咎
How many strokes are in 咎?
咎 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 咎 mean?
咎 (jiù) means fault, defect; error, mistake. A common word with it is 咎由自取 (jiùyóuzìqǔ), meaning "(idiom) to have only oneself to blame; to bring trouble through one's own actions".
How do you pronounce 咎?
咎 is pronounced jiù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 咎?
The radical of 咎 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 咎 under this radical.
How do I say "it's my fault" in everyday Chinese? Should I use 咎?
In daily speech people say 是我的错 (shì wǒ de cuò) instead. 咎 sounds formal or literary, so save it for written Chinese and fixed expressions.
What are other set phrases with 咎 besides 咎由自取?
You may see 归咎 (guījiù), to put the blame on, as in 归咎于天气 (to blame it on the weather). Another is 难辞其咎 (nán cí qí jiù), meaning one cannot escape responsibility.