郊 meaning and stroke order
Suburbs, outskirts; wasteland, open space
How to write 郊, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 6
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- 8
Meaning of 郊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- suburbs
- outskirts
How 郊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Place.
阝 gives the meaning and 交 hints at the sound.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 郊
郊 combines 交 (jiāo), which gives the sound, with 阝 on the right, which marks a place or town. Picture the place where the city and the countryside meet, or 交 (jiāo), at the edge of town.
郊 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It shows up in words like 郊区 (jiāoqū, suburbs), 郊外 (jiāowài, outskirts) and 郊游 (jiāoyóu, to go on an outing). Example: 周末我们去郊外玩吧。(Zhōumò wǒmen qù jiāowài wán ba.) Let's go to the countryside outside the city this weekend.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 郊 with 效 (xiào, effect) and 校 (xiào, school), which share the 交 part but are read xiào. Remember that 郊 keeps the jiāo sound of 交 and has 阝 on the right for a place.
Common words with 郊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
郊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 郊
How many strokes are in 郊?
郊 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 郊 mean?
郊 (jiāo) means suburbs, outskirts; wasteland, open space. A common word with it is 郊区 (jiāoqū), meaning "suburban district; outskirts; suburbs".
How do you pronounce 郊?
郊 is pronounced jiāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 郊?
The radical of 郊 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 郊 under this radical.
Is 郊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 郊 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 郊区 and 郊外?
郊区 (jiāoqū) is a suburban district, often an official administrative area where people live. 郊外 (jiāowài) means the open area outside the city, and it is common when talking about trips and fresh air.
Does the 阝 in 郊 mean the same as the 阝 in 阳?
No. When 阝 is on the right, as in 郊 and 都, it comes from 邑 and relates to towns and places. When it is on the left, as in 阳, it comes from 阜 and relates to hills.