灸 meaning and stroke order
To cauterize; moxibustion
How to write 灸, stroke by stroke
7 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
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- 7
Meaning of 灸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- moxibustion (TCM)
How 灸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 久 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 灸
灸 puts 久 (jiǔ, a long time) on top of 火 (huǒ, fire). Picture heat held against the skin for a long time, which is what moxibustion does, and 久 also gives the sound jiǔ.
灸 is a specialized word from traditional Chinese medicine and almost always appears in the compound 针灸 (zhēnjiǔ), acupuncture and moxibustion. Example: 他每周去做一次针灸。(Tā měi zhōu qù zuò yí cì zhēnjiǔ.) He goes for acupuncture once a week.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 灸 with 炙 (zhì, to roast), which has 夕-like strokes on top instead of 久. Remember that 灸 shares both shape and sound with 久 (jiǔ).
Common words with 灸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 针灸 | zhēnjiǔ | acupuncture and moxibustion; to give or have acupuncture and moxibustion | HSK 7-9 |
灸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 灸
How many strokes are in 灸?
灸 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 灸 mean?
灸 (jiǔ) means to cauterize; moxibustion. A common word with it is 针灸 (zhēnjiǔ), meaning "acupuncture and moxibustion; to give or have acupuncture and moxibustion".
How do you pronounce 灸?
灸 is pronounced jiǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 灸?
The radical of 灸 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 灸 under this radical.
Is 灸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 灸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 针灸 mean only acupuncture?
Strictly, 针灸 covers both needling (针) and moxibustion (灸). In everyday speech, though, people use 针灸 to talk about acupuncture in general, and it is the normal word for acupuncture.
Can 灸 be used on its own as a verb?
Yes, in medical contexts you may see phrases like 灸一下 (jiǔ yíxià) or 艾灸 (àijiǔ), moxibustion with mugwort. Outside TCM it is rarely used alone.