琢 meaning and stroke order
To polish jade; to cut jade
How to write 琢, 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 琢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cut (gems)
- used in 琢磨[zuo2 mo5]
- Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]
How 琢 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Jade.
王 gives the meaning and 豖 hints at the sound.
Radical: 王 (king), shared by 104 characters on this site.
How to remember 琢
The left side 王 here stands for jade (玉), and the right side 豖 gives the sound. Picture a craftsman bent over a piece of jade, chipping and shaping it.
As zhuó, 琢 appears in formal words about cutting gems, like 雕琢 (diāozhuó, to carve). As zuó, it mostly appears in 琢磨 (zuómo), a common spoken word meaning to think something over. Example: 我琢磨了半天也没想明白。(Wǒ zuómo le bàntiān yě méi xiǎng míngbai.) I thought it over for ages and still couldn't figure it out.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 豕 (shǐ, pig). The correct component 豖 has an extra dot stroke. Also keep the two readings apart: 琢磨 is zuómo when it means to ponder, but zhuómó when it means to polish jade or refine writing.
Common words with 琢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 琢磨 | zuómo | to carve and polish (jade); to polish and refine a literary work | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 琢
How many strokes are in 琢?
琢 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 琢 mean?
琢 (zuó) means to polish jade; to cut jade. A common word with it is 琢磨 (zuómo), meaning "to carve and polish (jade); to polish and refine a literary work".
How do you pronounce 琢?
琢 is pronounced zuó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 琢?
The radical of 琢 is 王, which carries the idea of "king". Dictionaries list 琢 under this radical.
Is 琢 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 琢 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 琢磨 zuómo and 琢磨 zhuómó?
琢磨 zhuómó is the literal or literary sense, to carve and polish jade or to refine a piece of writing. 琢磨 zuómo, with a neutral tone on 磨, is the everyday spoken sense of thinking something over or pondering.
Is 琢 pronounced differently in Taiwan?
Yes. The dictionary data notes that in Taiwan 琢磨 is read with zhuó rather than zuó. Mainland speakers say zuómo for the colloquial meaning.