湊 meaning and stroke order
To piece together, to assemble
How to write 湊, stroke by stroke
12 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 湊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to gather together, pool or collect
- to happen by chance
- to move close to
- to exploit an opportunity
How 湊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 奏 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 湊
湊 is water 氵 on the left with 奏 (zòu) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture streams of water 氵 flowing together into one place, the way people and things gather together.
湊 (còu) means to gather or pool things, to move closer, or to happen by chance, and it mostly appears in words like 湊合, 湊巧 and 拼湊. In simplified Chinese it is usually written 凑, with the ice radical 冫. Example: 我們湊錢買禮物。(Wǒmen còu qián mǎi lǐwù.) We pooled money to buy a gift.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as zòu because of the phonetic part 奏, but 湊 is còu with a c sound and fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 揍 (zòu, to beat someone), which has the hand radical 扌.
Common words with 湊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 湊
How many strokes are in 湊?
湊 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 湊 mean?
湊 (còu) means to piece together, to assemble. A common word with it is 凑合 (còuhe), meaning "to bring together; to make do in a bad situation".
How do you pronounce 湊?
湊 is pronounced còu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 湊?
The radical of 湊 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 湊 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 湊?
湊 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 凑, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 湊合 mean in everyday speech?
湊合 (còuhe) often means to make do or to settle for something that is just okay. For example, 湊合著吃吧 (còuhe zhe chī ba) means "let's just make do and eat this." It can also describe something as passable, as in 還湊合 (hái còuhe), "it's alright."
How do I use 湊 to mean moving closer?
Use 湊 with 近 or 過來 to mean leaning or moving in close. For example, 他湊過來看 (tā còu guòlái kàn) means "he leaned over to look." There is also 湊熱鬧 (còu rènao), to join in the fun or crowd around something.