局 meaning and stroke order
Office; situation; classifier for games: match, set, round etc
How to write 局, 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.
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Meaning of 局
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- narrow
- office
- situation
- classifier for games: match, set, round etc
- cramped; narrow
How 局 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A place where measures 尺 are discussed 口.
Radical: 尸 (body), shared by 40 characters on this site.
How to remember 局
局 is built from 尺 (chǐ, ruler or measure) wrapped around 口 (kǒu, mouth). Picture an office where people sit with their rulers and talk about rules and measures, which gives you a bureau, and the way things are measured up becomes the situation.
局 appears in names of offices like 邮局 (yóujú, post office) and 警察局 (jǐngchájú, police station), and in words about situations like 局面 (júmiàn) and 局势 (júshì). It is also a classifier for rounds or games. Example: 我们再下一局棋吧。(Wǒmen zài xià yì jú qí ba.) Let's play another game of chess.
Common mistake: Learners often write the inside of 尺 like a plain 尸 and forget the stroke that sweeps down to the right under 口. Also do not confuse 局 with 屋 (wū, house), which shares the 尸 top but has 至 underneath.
Common words with 局
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 邮局 | yóujú | post office | HSK 4 |
| 局长 | júzhǎng | bureau chief | HSK 5 |
| 局面 | júmiàn | aspect; phase | HSK 5 |
| 结局 | jiéjú | conclusion; ending; outcome | HSK 7-9 |
| 出局 | chūjú | (of a batter) to be put out (in baseball); to be dismissed (in cricket); (of a player or t | HSK 7-9 |
| 局势 | júshì | situation; state (of affairs) | HSK 7-9 |
| 大局 | dàjú | overall situation; the big picture | HSK 7-9 |
| 布局 | bùjú | arrangement; composition | HSK 7-9 |
| 全局 | quánjú | overall situation | HSK 7-9 |
| 局部 | júbù | part; local | HSK 7-9 |
| 局限 | júxiàn | to limit; to confine | HSK 7-9 |
| 僵局 | jiāngjú | impasse; deadlock | HSK 7-9 |
| 公安局 | gōng'ānjú | public security bureau (government office similar in function to a police station) | HSK 7-9 |
| 格局 | géjú | structure; pattern | HSK 7-9 |
局 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 局
Learning 局 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 局
How many strokes are in 局?
局 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 局 mean?
局 (jú) means office; situation; classifier for games: match, set, round etc. A common word with it is 邮局 (yóujú), meaning "post office".
How do you pronounce 局?
局 is pronounced jú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 局?
The radical of 局 is 尸, which carries the idea of "body". Dictionaries list 局 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 局?
The traditional form of 局 is 侷 and 跼. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 局 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 局 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 局 is part of the HSK 4 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 局 and 场 as classifiers for games?
局 counts a single round, set, or game within a match, like one game of chess or one set in table tennis. 场 (chǎng) usually counts a whole event or match, such as 一场比赛 (yì chǎng bǐsài, one match).
Does 局 always mean a government office?
No. It is common in office names like 邮局, but it also means situation or outcome, as in 大局 (dàjú, the big picture) and 结局 (jiéjú, ending). Context tells you which sense is meant.