祝 meaning and stroke order
To pray for; to wish (sb bon voyage, happy birthday etc); person who invokes the spirits during sacrificial ceremonies
How to write 祝, stroke by stroke
9 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 祝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pray for
- to wish (sb bon voyage, happy birthday etc)
- person who invokes the spirits during sacrificial ceremonies
How 祝 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 兄 praying before an altar 礻.
Radical: 礻 (spirit), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 祝
The left side 礻 is an altar, and the right side 兄 shows a person with a big mouth 口 on top. Picture someone kneeling at an altar and speaking good wishes aloud, and you have 祝 (zhù), to pray or wish well.
祝 (zhù) usually goes right before the person and the wish, much like "wish you..." in English. It is very common on birthday cards, in toasts, and at the end of letters and messages. Example: 祝你生日快乐。(Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè.) Happy birthday to you.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 衤 (the clothing radical, with an extra dot) instead of 礻. Remember that 礻 relates to spirits and rituals, which fits praying. Also do not mix up 祝 (zhù, fourth tone) with 住 (zhù, to live). They sound the same but mean different things.
Common words with 祝
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
祝 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 祝
How many strokes are in 祝?
祝 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 祝 mean?
祝 (zhù) means to pray for; to wish (sb bon voyage, happy birthday etc); person who invokes the spirits during sacrificial ceremonies. A common word with it is 庆祝 (qìngzhù), meaning "to celebrate".
How do you pronounce 祝?
祝 is pronounced zhù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 祝?
The radical of 祝 is 礻, which carries the idea of "spirit". Dictionaries list 祝 under this radical.
Is 祝 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 祝 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 祝 and 希望?
祝 (zhù) expresses a wish for someone else, often as a polite formula, like 祝你好运 (zhù nǐ hǎoyùn), good luck to you. 希望 (xīwàng) means to hope and can be about yourself or anything, like 我希望明天不下雨 (wǒ xīwàng míngtiān bú xià yǔ), I hope it does not rain tomorrow.
How do I use 祝 to sign off an email or message?
A short and friendly way is 祝好 (zhùhǎo), meaning all the best. You can also write a fuller line such as 祝工作顺利 (zhù gōngzuò shùnlì), wishing your work goes smoothly.