閘 meaning and stroke order
Sluice, floodgate, canal lock
How to write 閘, stroke by stroke
13 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 閘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sluice; sluice gate
- to dam up water
- (coll.) brake
- (coll.) electric switch
How 閘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Gate.
門 gives the meaning and 甲 hints at the sound.
Radical: 門 (gate), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 閘
閘 is a gate 門 (mén) with 甲 (jiǎ) inside, which gives the sound. Picture a strong gate built across a river to hold the water back.
閘 (zhá) appears in words for water gates like 水閘 (shuǐzhá) and 閘門 (zhámén), and in everyday speech it can also mean a brake or an electric switch. Example: 開閘放水 (kāi zhá fàng shuǐ), open the sluice and release the water.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 閘 with 閉 (bì, to close) or 閃 (shǎn, to flash) because all share the 門 frame, so check that the inside part is 甲. Also note the second tone: zhá, not zhà like 炸 (to explode).
Common words with 閘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 閘門 | zhámén | sluice gate | |
| 氣閘 | qìzhá | pneumatic brake; airlock | |
| 水閘 | shuǐzhá | sluice; water gate |
Questions about 閘
How many strokes are in 閘?
閘 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 閘 mean?
閘 (zhá) means sluice, floodgate, canal lock. A common word with it is 闸门 (zhámén), meaning "sluice gate".
How do you pronounce 閘?
閘 is pronounced zhá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 閘?
The radical of 閘 is 門, which carries the idea of "gate". Dictionaries list 閘 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 閘?
閘 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 闸, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say 'hit the brakes' using 閘?
In colloquial speech people say 踩閘 (cǎi zhá) or 剎閘 (shā zhá) for braking. The more standard word for brake is 剎車 (shāchē).
What does 閘 mean when talking about electricity?
Colloquially 閘 can mean a switch or circuit breaker. For example, 拉閘 (lā zhá) means to pull the switch and cut the power.