娶 meaning and stroke order
To take a wife; to marry (a woman)
How to write 娶, stroke by stroke
11 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 娶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to take a wife
- to marry (a woman)
How 娶 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To take 取 a wife 女; 取 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 娶
娶 puts 取 (qǔ, to take) on top of 女 (woman), so the picture is a man taking a wife. 取 also gives the sound, so 娶 is read qǔ just like 取.
娶 is used when a man marries a woman, and it usually takes the wife as its object. A common pattern is 娶老婆 (qǔ lǎopo, to get a wife). Example: 他去年娶了一个北京姑娘。(Tā qùnián qǔ le yí ge Běijīng gūniang.) He married a girl from Beijing last year.
Common mistake: Learners often use 娶 for a woman getting married, but a woman 嫁 (jià) a man, as in 她嫁给了他 (tā jià gěi le tā). Also do not write the top as 耳 alone. It must be the full 取 with 又 on the right.
Common words with 娶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 迎娶 | yíngqǔ | (of a groom) to fetch one's bride from her parents' home to escort her to the wedding cere |
娶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 娶
How many strokes are in 娶?
娶 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 娶 mean?
娶 (qǔ) means to take a wife; to marry (a woman). A common word with it is 迎娶 (yíngqǔ), meaning "(of a groom) to fetch one's bride from her parents' home to escort her to the wedding cere".
How do you pronounce 娶?
娶 is pronounced qǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 娶?
The radical of 娶 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 娶 under this radical.
Is 娶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 娶 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 娶, 嫁 and 结婚?
娶 is from the man's side (to take a wife), 嫁 is from the woman's side (to marry into a husband's family). 结婚 (jiéhūn) is neutral and works for anyone, but it does not take a direct object, so say 跟她结婚 (gēn tā jiéhūn), not 结婚她.
Is 娶 old-fashioned or still used today?
It is still common in everyday speech, especially in phrases like 娶媳妇 (qǔ xífu) and 娶老婆 (qǔ lǎopo). Words like 迎娶 (yíngqǔ) sound more formal or traditional and appear in wedding contexts.