追 meaning and stroke order
To chase; to pursue; to look into
How to write 追, 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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- 9
Meaning of 追
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to chase
- to pursue
- to look into
- to investigate
- to reminisce
- to recall
- to sculpt
- to carve
- musical instrument (old)
How 追 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
辶 gives the meaning and 㠯 hints at the sound.
Radical: 辶 (to walk), shared by 131 characters on this site.
How to remember 追
The walking radical 辶 runs along the bottom, and 㠯 sits on top as the sound part. Picture someone walking fast to catch up with a target: that is 追 (zhuī), to chase.
追 is used for physically chasing someone and also for chasing goals, causes, or the past. In colloquial speech, 追 also means to court someone romantically, as in 追女孩子. Example: 他一直在追求自己的梦想。(Tā yīzhí zài zhuīqiú zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng.) He has always been pursuing his dream.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 追 (zhuī) with 退 (tuì, to retreat) or 迫 (pò, to force), since all three use 辶 with a similar top part. 追 has 㠯 on top, 退 has 艮, and 迫 has 白.
Common words with 追
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 追求 | zhuīqiú | to pursue (a goal etc) stubbornly; to seek after | HSK 4 |
| 追究 | zhuījiū | to investigate; to look into | HSK 6 |
| 追踪 | zhuīzōng | to track; to trace; to follow up; (HK, Tw) to follow (on social media) | HSK 7-9 |
| 追逐 | zhuīzhú | to chase; to pursue vigorously | HSK 7-9 |
| 追随 | zhuīsuí | to follow; to accompany | HSK 7-9 |
| 追赶 | zhuīgǎn | to pursue; to chase after | HSK 7-9 |
| 追问 | zhuīwèn | to question closely; to investigate in detail | HSK 7-9 |
| 追溯 | zhuīsù | lit. to go upstream; to trace sth back to | HSK 7-9 |
| 追悼会 | zhuīdàohuì | memorial service; funeral service | HSK 7-9 |
| 追尾 | zhuīwěi | to tailgate; to hit the car in front as a result of tailgating | HSK 7-9 |
| 追捕 | zhuībǔ | to pursue; to be after | |
| 追查 | zhuīchá | to try to find out; to trace; to track down | |
| 追杀 | zhuīshā | to chase to kill | |
| 追上 | zhuīshàng | to overtake |
追 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 追
Learning 追 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 追
How many strokes are in 追?
追 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 追 mean?
追 (zhuī) means to chase; to pursue; to look into. A common word with it is 追求 (zhuīqiú), meaning "to pursue (a goal etc) stubbornly; to seek after".
How do you pronounce 追?
追 is pronounced zhuī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 追?
The radical of 追 is 辶, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 追 under this radical.
Is 追 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 追 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.
How do you say to chase a TV show or a celebrity with 追?
Chinese uses 追剧 (zhuī jù) for binge-following a TV series and 追星 (zhuī xīng) for being a fan who follows a star. Both are very common in everyday speech.
What is the difference between 追 and 跟?
跟 (gēn) means to follow along behind someone at their pace. 追 means to try to catch up with something that is ahead or moving away, so it carries a sense of effort and speed.