柱 meaning and stroke order
To lean on; pillar, post, support
How to write 柱, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 柱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pillar
How 柱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 主 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 柱
柱 is wood 木 (mù) plus 主 (zhǔ), which gives the sound. Picture the main 主 piece of wood 木 that holds up a house: a pillar.
柱 rarely stands alone in speech. People say 柱子 (zhùzi) for a pillar or post, and 支柱 (zhīzhù) for a mainstay, literal or figurative. Example: 他是家里的支柱。(Tā shì jiā lǐ de zhīzhù.) He is the pillar of the family.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 柱 with 住 (zhù, to live) and 注 (zhù, to pour, to note), which share the same sound and the 主 part. Remember that 木 (wood) marks the pillar, 亻 (person) marks living, and 氵 (water) marks pouring.
Common words with 柱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
柱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 柱
How many strokes are in 柱?
柱 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 柱 mean?
柱 (zhù) means to lean on; pillar, post, support. A common word with it is 柱子 (zhùzi), meaning "pillar".
How do you pronounce 柱?
柱 is pronounced zhù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 柱?
The radical of 柱 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 柱 under this radical.
Is 柱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 柱 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 柱 describe shapes that are not building supports?
Yes. It is used for anything column-shaped, such as 脊柱 (jǐzhù) spinal column, 水柱 (shuǐzhù) a jet of water, and 圆柱 (yuánzhù) a cylinder in math.
Is 柱 pronounced with the same tone as 主?
No. 主 is third tone (zhǔ), but 柱 is fourth tone (zhù). The phonetic part only gives an approximate sound, so learn the tone separately.