爵 meaning and stroke order
Noble; a feudal rank or title
How to write 爵, stroke by stroke
17 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 爵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ancient bronze wine holder with 3 legs and loop handle
- nobility
How 爵 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 寸 holding a goblet 良 of wine 罒.
Radical: 爫 (claws), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 爵
Picture a hand 寸 at the bottom holding up a goblet 良 full of wine 罒, with another hand 爫 on top. In ancient times the 爵 (jué) wine vessel was given to nobles, so the cup came to stand for noble rank.
Today 爵 (jué) mostly appears in noble titles, like 公爵 (gōngjué) duke, 伯爵 (bójué) earl, and 男爵 (nánjué) baron. It also shows up in the sound loan 爵士乐 (juéshìyuè), meaning jazz. Example: 他被封为爵士。(Tā bèi fēng wéi juéshì.) He was made a knight.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the middle part 良 with 艮, or forget the 罒 between 爫 and 良. The tone is also a common slip. It is second tone jué, not jiào or juè.
Common words with 爵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爵士 | juéshì | knight; Sir | HSK 7-9 |
| 伯爵 | bójué | earl; count | |
| 公爵 | gōngjué | duke; dukedom | |
| 男爵 | nánjué | baron | |
| 勋爵 | xūnjué | Lord (UK hereditary nobility); UK life peer | |
| 爵士乐 | juéshìyuè | jazz (loanword) | |
| 侯爵 | hóujué | marquis | |
| 公爵夫人 | gōngjuéfūrén | duchess | |
| 子爵 | zǐjué | viscount | |
| 爵位 | juéwèi | order of feudal nobility, namely: Duke 公[gong1], Marquis 侯[hou2], Count 伯[bo2], Viscount 子 |
爵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 爵
Learning 爵 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 爵
How many strokes are in 爵?
爵 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 爵 mean?
爵 (jué) means noble; a feudal rank or title. A common word with it is 爵士 (juéshì), meaning "knight; Sir".
How do you pronounce 爵?
爵 is pronounced jué, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 爵?
The radical of 爵 is 爫, which carries the idea of "claws". Dictionaries list 爵 under this radical.
Is 爵 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 爵 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 爵士 mean both knight and jazz?
爵士 (juéshì) is the native word for knight or Sir. 爵士乐 (juéshìyuè) jazz comes from the sound of the English word jazz, so the meaning there has nothing to do with nobility.
What is the order of the five noble ranks in Chinese?
From highest to lowest they are 公 (gōng) duke, 侯 (hóu) marquis, 伯 (bó) earl, 子 (zǐ) viscount, and 男 (nán) baron, each followed by 爵. So you get 公爵, 侯爵, 伯爵, 子爵, and 男爵.