急 meaning and stroke order
Urgent; pressing; rapid
How to write 急, stroke by stroke
9 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 急
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- urgent
- pressing
- rapid
- hurried
- worried
- to make (sb) anxious
How 急 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 刍 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 急
急 is built from 刍 (chú) on top, which gives the sound, and 心 (xīn, heart) underneath, which gives the meaning. Picture a heart racing under pressure, and you have the feeling of being anxious or in a hurry.
急 describes both a worried feeling and an urgent situation. It appears in very common words like 着急 (zháojí, to be anxious) and 紧急 (jǐnjí, urgent). Example: 别着急，慢慢来。(Bié zháojí, màn man lái.) Don't worry, take your time.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我很急 when they mean 'I'm worried', but 着急 (zháojí) is the more natural choice for that feeling. Also watch the bottom part: it is 心 with its full dots, not the side form 忄.
Common words with 急
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 紧急 | jǐnjí | urgent; emergency | HSK 3 |
| 着急 | zháojí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry | HSK 4 |
| 急忙 | jímáng | hastily | HSK 4 |
| 急救 | jíjiù | to give emergency treatment; first aid | HSK 6 |
| 应急 | yìngjí | to respond to an emergency; to meet a contingency | HSK 6 |
| 急需 | jíxū | to urgently need; urgent need | HSK 7-9 |
| 急于 | jíyú | eager to; in a hurry to | HSK 7-9 |
| 危急 | wēijí | critical; desperate (situation) | HSK 7-9 |
| 焦急 | jiāojí | anxiety; anxious | HSK 7-9 |
| 急性 | jíxìng | acute | HSK 7-9 |
| 急诊 | jízhěn | to give or receive urgent medical treatment; emergency treatment (at a hospital emergency | HSK 7-9 |
| 当务之急 | dāngwùzhījí | (idiom) top priority job; a matter of the greatest urgency | HSK 7-9 |
| 急剧 | jíjù | rapid; sudden | HSK 7-9 |
| 急转弯 | jízhuǎnwān | to make a sudden turn | HSK 7-9 |
急 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 急
Learning 急 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 急
How many strokes are in 急?
急 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 急 mean?
急 (jí) means urgent; pressing; rapid. A common word with it is 紧急 (jǐnjí), meaning "urgent; emergency".
How do you pronounce 急?
急 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 急?
The radical of 急 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 急 under this radical.
Is 急 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 急 is part of the HSK 2 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 着急 and 紧急?
着急 (zháojí) describes a person's feelings, like being anxious or impatient. 紧急 (jǐnjí) describes a situation, like an emergency or an urgent matter. You say 他很着急 for a person but 紧急情况 for an emergency.
Can 急 be used to mean making someone else anxious?
Yes. In spoken Chinese, 急 can mean to make someone anxious, as in 急死我了 (jí sǐ wǒ le), meaning 'I'm worried sick' or 'this is driving me crazy'. It is a very common expression.