觸 meaning and stroke order
To butt, to gore, to ram; to touch
How to write 觸, stroke by stroke
20 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 觸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to touch
- to make contact with sth
- to stir up sb's emotions
How 觸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horn.
角 gives the meaning and 蜀 hints at the sound.
Radical: 角 (angle), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 觸
觸 is built from 角 (jiǎo, horn) on the left, which gives the meaning, and 蜀 (shǔ) on the right, which hints at the sound. Picture an animal lowering its horn 角 to butt or touch something, and you have 觸 (chù).
觸 is mostly used in compounds about physical contact, and by extension about emotional contact or breaking rules. Common words include 接觸 (jiēchù, to contact), 觸摸 (chùmō, to touch) and 感觸 (gǎnchù, emotional stirring). Example: 請勿觸摸展品。(Qǐng wù chùmō zhǎnpǐn.) Please do not touch the exhibits.
Common mistake: Learners often read 觸 as shǔ because of the phonetic part 蜀, but the correct reading is chù with a falling fourth tone. Also, the simplified form 触 replaces 蜀 with 虫, so do not mix the two right-hand parts when writing in one script.
Common words with 觸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 接觸 | jiēchù | to touch; to contact | HSK 5 |
| 觸摸 | chùmō | to touch | HSK 7-9 |
| 觸動 | chùdòng | to touch; to stir up (trouble or emotions) | HSK 7-9 |
| 觸犯 | chùfàn | to violate; to offend | HSK 7-9 |
| 感觸 | gǎnchù | one's thoughts and feelings; emotional stirring | HSK 7-9 |
| 觸覺 | chùjué | sense of touch; tactile sensation | HSK 7-9 |
| 抵觸 | dǐchù | to conflict; to contradict | HSK 7-9 |
| 觸目驚心 | chùmù-jīngxīn | lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); shocking; horrible to see | HSK 7-9 |
| 觸發 | chùfā | to trigger; to spark | |
| 觸及 | chùjí | to touch (physically, one's feelings etc); to touch on (a topic) | |
| 碰觸 | pèngchù | to touch | |
| 觸碰 | chùpèng | to touch; (fig.) to touch on (a matter) | |
| 觸手 | chùshǒu | tentacle | |
| 觸電 | chùdiàn | to get an electric shock |
Questions about 觸
How many strokes are in 觸?
觸 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 觸 mean?
觸 (chù) means to butt, to gore, to ram; to touch. A common word with it is 接触 (jiēchù), meaning "to touch; to contact".
How do you pronounce 觸?
觸 is pronounced chù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 觸?
The radical of 觸 is 角, which carries the idea of "angle". Dictionaries list 觸 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 觸?
觸 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 触, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 觸 and 摸 for touch?
摸 (mō) is the everyday verb for touching or feeling with the hand. 觸 is more formal and abstract and rarely stands alone in speech. It usually appears in compounds like 觸摸 or 接觸.
Can 觸 mean to offend or violate?
Yes. In 觸犯 (chùfàn) it means to violate a law or offend someone, as in 觸犯法律 (chùfàn fǎlǜ, to break the law). The idea is bumping into a boundary you should not cross.