殴 meaning and stroke order
To hit, to beat, to fight with fists
How to write 殴, stroke by stroke
8 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
Meaning of 殴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to beat up
- to hit sb
How 殴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Weapon.
殳 gives the meaning and 区 hints at the sound.
Radical: 殳 (tool), shared by 16 characters on this site.
How to remember 殴
The right side 殳 (shū) is a hand holding a weapon, which gives the meaning of hitting. The left side 区 (qū) gives the sound, so picture someone in a district (区) getting beaten with a club.
殴 (ōu) is formal and rarely used alone. It mostly appears in compounds like 殴打 (ōudǎ) and 斗殴 (dòu'ōu), often in news reports and legal language. Example: 他因殴打他人被警察带走。(Tā yīn ōudǎ tārén bèi jǐngchá dàizǒu.) He was taken away by the police for beating someone.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 殴 (ōu) with 欧 (ōu, Europe), which shares 区 but has 欠 on the right. Remember that 殳 means a weapon, so it is the hitting one.
Common words with 殴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
殴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 殴
How many strokes are in 殴?
殴 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 殴 mean?
殴 (ōu) means to hit, to beat, to fight with fists. A common word with it is 殴打 (ōudǎ), meaning "to beat up; to come to blows".
How do you pronounce 殴?
殴 is pronounced ōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 殴?
The radical of 殴 is 殳, which carries the idea of "tool". Dictionaries list 殴 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 殴?
The traditional form of 殴 is 毆. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 殴 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 殴 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 殴 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 殴 in everyday speech to say someone hit me?
It sounds stiff in casual talk. People usually say 打 (dǎ), as in 他打我 (tā dǎ wǒ). Save 殴打 for formal or written contexts.
What is the difference between 殴打 and 斗殴?
殴打 (ōudǎ) usually means one side beats another person. 斗殴 (dòu'ōu) means a fight where both sides exchange blows, like a brawl.