捕 meaning and stroke order
To catch; to seize; to capture
How to write 捕, stroke by stroke
10 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 捕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to catch; to seize; to capture
How 捕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 甫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 捕
捕 (bǔ) is a hand 扌 next to 甫 (fǔ), which gives the sound. Picture a hand reaching out to grab something that is trying to get away.
捕 is rarely used alone in speech. It appears in compounds about catching people or animals, such as 逮捕 (dàibǔ, to arrest), 捕鱼 (bǔyú, to fish) and 捕捉 (bǔzhuō, to capture). Example: 警察逮捕了小偷。 (Jǐngchá dàibǔ le xiǎotōu.) The police arrested the thief.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 捕 (bǔ) with 铺 (pū, to spread) and 浦 (pǔ, riverside), which share the same 甫 part. Check the left side: only the hand 扌 means catching.
Common words with 捕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 逮捕 | dàibǔ | to arrest; to apprehend; to take into custody; Taiwan pr. [dai3bu3] | HSK 7-9 |
| 被捕 | bèibǔ | to be arrested; under arrest | HSK 7-9 |
| 捕捉 | bǔzhuō | to catch; to seize; to capture | HSK 7-9 |
| 追捕 | zhuībǔ | to pursue; to be after | |
| 拘捕 | jūbǔ | to arrest | |
| 捕猎 | bǔliè | to catch (wild animals); to hunt | |
| 捕获 | bǔhuò | to catch; to capture; to seize | |
| 捕鱼 | bǔyú | to catch fish; to fish | |
| 抓捕 | zhuābǔ | to seize; to capture | |
| 搜捕 | sōubǔ | to hunt and arrest (fugitives); to track down and arrest | |
| 捕食 | bǔshí | to prey on; to catch and feed on | |
| 捕食者 | bǔshízhě | predator | |
| 拒捕 | jùbǔ | to resist arrest | |
| 捕鲸 | bǔjīng | to whale; to hunt whales |
捕 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 捕
How many strokes are in 捕?
捕 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 捕 mean?
捕 (bǔ) means to catch; to seize; to capture. A common word with it is 逮捕 (dàibǔ), meaning "to arrest; to apprehend; to take into custody; Taiwan pr. [dai3bu3]".
How do you pronounce 捕?
捕 is pronounced bǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 捕?
The radical of 捕 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 捕 under this radical.
Is 捕 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 捕 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 捕 and 抓?
抓 (zhuā) is the everyday spoken word for grab or catch, as in 抓小偷. 捕 is more formal and is mostly used in compounds like 逮捕 or in written and news language.
Does 捕 only mean arresting people?
No. It also covers catching animals, as in 捕鱼 (bǔyú, to fish) and 捕猎 (bǔliè, to hunt). 捕捉 can even be used for abstract things, like capturing a chance or a moment.