除 meaning and stroke order
To get rid of; to remove; to exclude
How to write 除, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 除
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to get rid of
- to remove
- to exclude
- to eliminate
- to wipe out
- to divide
How 除 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The waste 余 produced by a city 阝.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 除
Picture the city wall 阝 on the left and the leftover waste 余 (yú) on the right. A city has to remove its extra rubbish, so 除 means to get rid of or remove.
In daily speech 除 appears most often in 除了 (chúle), meaning "except" or "besides," and in verbs like 消除 (xiāochú) and 排除 (páichú) for removing something. Example: 除了他，谁也没来。(Chúle tā, shéi yě méi lái.) Nobody came except him.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 除 with 徐 (xú), which shares the 余 part but has the step radical 彳 on the left. Also remember 除了 can mean both "except" (with 都 or 也) and "besides, in addition" (with 还 or 也), so check which pattern follows.
Common words with 除
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 除了 | chúle | apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 | HSK 3 |
| 除非 | chúfēi | only if (..., or otherwise, ...); only when | HSK 5 |
| 解除 | jiěchú | to remove; to sack | HSK 5 |
| 消除 | xiāochú | to eliminate; to remove | HSK 5 |
| 排除 | páichú | to eliminate; to remove | HSK 5 |
| 拆除 | chāichú | to tear down; to demolish | HSK 5 |
| 除夕 | chúxī | lunar New Year's Eve | HSK 5 |
| 开除 | kāichú | to expel (a member of an organization); to fire (an employee) | HSK 7-9 |
| 清除 | qīngchú | to clear away; to eliminate | HSK 7-9 |
| 删除 | shānchú | to delete; to cancel | HSK 7-9 |
| 除此之外 | chúcǐzhīwài | apart from this; in addition to this | HSK 7-9 |
| 切除 | qiēchú | to excise; to cut out (a tumor) | HSK 7-9 |
| 除去 | chúqù | to eliminate; to remove | HSK 7-9 |
| 废除 | fèichú | to abolish; to abrogate | HSK 7-9 |
除 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 除
How many strokes are in 除?
除 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 除 mean?
除 (chú) means to get rid of; to remove; to exclude. A common word with it is 除了 (chúle), meaning "apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1".
How do you pronounce 除?
除 is pronounced chú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 除?
The radical of 除 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 除 under this radical.
Is 除 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 除 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 2.
What does 除 mean in math?
除 means to divide. For example, 十除以二 (shí chú yǐ èr) means ten divided by two, and 除法 (chúfǎ) is division.
Why is lunar New Year's Eve called 除夕?
除夕 (chúxī) literally means the evening when the old year is removed. It is the night families gather for a reunion dinner before the Spring Festival begins.