窒 meaning and stroke order
To obstruct, to stop
How to write 窒, stroke by stroke
11 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 窒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to obstruct
- to stop up
How 窒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Cave.
穴 gives the meaning and 至 hints at the sound.
Radical: 穴 (cave), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 窒
窒 has a cave 穴 on top and 至 (zhì, to arrive) below. Picture arriving at the end of a cave where the passage is blocked and the air stops moving. 至 also gives the sound zhì.
窒 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You will mostly see it in 窒息 (zhìxī), meaning to suffocate, used both literally and for a stifling atmosphere. Example: 房间里的气氛让人窒息。(Fángjiān lǐ de qìfēn ràng rén zhìxī.) The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 窒 with 室 (shì, room), which has the roof 宀 instead of the cave 穴. The two dots of 穴 under the roof are what make it 窒.
Common words with 窒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 窒息 | zhìxī | to choke; to stifle | HSK 7-9 |
窒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 窒
How many strokes are in 窒?
窒 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 窒 mean?
窒 (zhì) means to obstruct, to stop. A common word with it is 窒息 (zhìxī), meaning "to choke; to stifle".
How do you pronounce 窒?
窒 is pronounced zhì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 窒?
The radical of 窒 is 穴, which carries the idea of "cave". Dictionaries list 窒 under this radical.
Is 窒 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 窒 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 窒 pronounced the same as 至?
Yes. Both are zhì with the fourth tone, because 至 is the sound component of 窒.
Can 窒息 be used figuratively?
Yes. Besides physical suffocation, 窒息 describes oppressive feelings or situations, such as 令人窒息的压力 (lìng rén zhìxī de yālì), suffocating pressure.