沮 meaning and stroke order
To stop, to prevent; dejected, defeated
How to write 沮, 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.
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Meaning of 沮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to destroy
- to stop
How 沮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 且 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 沮
沮 combines water 氵 with 且 (qiě), which gives the sound. Picture water held back and stopped, like a person whose spirits are blocked and sinking, which links to both meanings: to stop, and dejected.
Today 沮 is used almost only in the word 沮丧 (jǔsàng), meaning dejected or discouraged. Example: 考试没考好，他很沮丧。(Kǎoshì méi kǎo hǎo, tā hěn jǔsàng.) He did badly on the exam and felt very down.
Common mistake: Learners often read 沮 as qiě because of the 且 part, or confuse it with 阻 (zǔ, to block), which shares the same phonetic. Remember 沮 has the water radical and is read jǔ in third tone.
Common words with 沮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 沮丧 | jǔsàng | dispirited; dejected | HSK 7-9 |
沮 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 沮
How many strokes are in 沮?
沮 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 沮 mean?
沮 (jǔ) means to stop, to prevent; dejected, defeated. A common word with it is 沮丧 (jǔsàng), meaning "dispirited; dejected".
How do you pronounce 沮?
沮 is pronounced jǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 沮?
The radical of 沮 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 沮 under this radical.
Is 沮 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 沮 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 沮丧 and 难过?
难过 (nánguò) is a general word for feeling sad or upset. 沮丧 focuses on feeling discouraged or losing heart after a setback or failure.
Can 沮 be used alone as a word?
In modern speech, not really. Its old sense of stopping or preventing appears only in classical texts and set phrases, so learners mainly need it inside 沮丧.