處 meaning and stroke order
To reside at, to live in; place, locale; department
How to write 處, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 處
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to reside
- to live
- to dwell
- to be in
- to be situated at
- to stay
- (bound form) place; locality
- (bound form) part; aspect
- (bound form) office; department; bureau
- classifier for locations: spot, point
How 處 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Place.
処 gives the meaning and 虍 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虍 (tiger), shared by 13 characters on this site.
How to remember 處
處 is built from 虍 (the tiger top), which gives the sound, and 処, which carries the meaning of place. Picture a tiger settling down in its own spot: that spot is where it lives, a 處 (chù).
Read chù, it means a place, a point, or an office, as in 到处 (dàochù, everywhere) and 好处 (hǎochù, benefit). Read chǔ, it is a verb about being in a situation or dealing with something, as in 处理 (chǔlǐ) and 相处 (xiāngchǔ). Example: 我们相处得很好。(Wǒmen xiāngchǔ de hěn hǎo.) We get along very well.
Common mistake: Learners often use one tone for every word. In 处理 (chǔlǐ) and 相处 (xiāngchǔ) it is third tone, but in 到处 (dàochù) and 好处 (hǎochù) it is fourth tone. A quick rule: verb uses are usually chǔ, and noun uses meaning place or part are usually chù.
Common words with 處
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 到處 | dàochù | everywhere | HSK 2 |
| 好處 | hǎochù | easy to get along with | HSK 2 |
| 壞處 | huàichù | harm; troubles | HSK 2 |
| 處理 | chǔlǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish | HSK 3 |
| 長處 | chángchù | good aspects; strong points | HSK 3 |
| 短處 | duǎnchù | shortcoming; defect | HSK 3 |
| 相處 | xiāngchǔ | to be in contact (with sb); to associate | HSK 4 |
| 處於 | chǔyú | to be in (some state, position, or condition) | HSK 4 |
| 處在 | chǔzài | to be situated at; to find oneself at | HSK 5 |
| 深處 | shēnchù | abyss; depths | HSK 5 |
| 處罰 | chǔfá | to penalize; to punish | HSK 5 |
| 遠處 | yuǎnchù | distant place | HSK 5 |
| 處分 | chǔfèn | to discipline sb; to punish | HSK 5 |
| 四處 | sìchù | all over the place; everywhere and all directions | HSK 6 |
Questions about 處
How many strokes are in 處?
處 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 處 mean?
處 (chù) means to reside at, to live in; place, locale; department. A common word with it is 到处 (dàochù), meaning "everywhere".
How do you pronounce 處?
處 is pronounced chù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 處?
The radical of 處 is 虍, which carries the idea of "tiger". Dictionaries list 處 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 處?
處 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 处, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why do I see 处 instead of 處?
处 is the simplified form used in mainland China, and 處 appears in traditional texts. They are the same word with the same readings and meanings.
How is 处 used for offices or departments?
处 can name an administrative unit, usually a division within a larger organization. You will see it on signs like 办事处 (bànshìchù, office or agency) or 售票处 (shòupiàochù, ticket office).