濁 meaning and stroke order
Dirty, filthy, muddy, turbid
How to write 濁, stroke by stroke
16 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 濁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- turbid; murky; impure
How 濁 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A pond 氵 growing scum 蜀.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 濁
The water radical 氵 sits next to 蜀, which here pictures scum growing on a pond. Water with stuff growing in it is murky, so 濁 (zhuó) means turbid or impure.
濁 is the traditional form, and in mainland simplified text it appears as 浊. It describes water, air, or sound that is not clear, and also shows up in words like 混濁 (hùnzhuó), turbid, and the set phrase 清濁 (qīngzhuó), clear and murky. Example: 河水很混濁。(Héshuǐ hěn hùnzhuó.) The river water is very murky.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 濁 (zhuó) with 燭 (zhú, candle), which has the same right side 蜀 but the fire radical 火. Check the left side: water 氵 means murky, fire 火 means candle.
Common words with 濁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 混濁 | hùnzhuó | turbid; muddy | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 濁
How many strokes are in 濁?
濁 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 濁 mean?
濁 (zhuó) means dirty, filthy, muddy, turbid. A common word with it is 混浊 (hùnzhuó), meaning "turbid; muddy".
How do you pronounce 濁?
濁 is pronounced zhuó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 濁?
The radical of 濁 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 濁 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 濁?
濁 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 浊, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the opposite of 濁?
The opposite is 清 (qīng), clear or clean. The two often appear together, as in 清濁 (qīngzhuó), meaning clear and turbid.
Can 濁 describe things other than water?
Yes. It can describe stale air, as in 濁氣 (zhuóqì), or a deep, heavy voice. Figuratively it can also mean morally impure or corrupt, as in the idiom 激濁揚清 (jī zhuó yáng qīng), to drive out the bad and praise the good.