驱 meaning and stroke order
To spur a horse on; to expel, to drive away
How to write 驱, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 驱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to expel
- to urge on
- to drive
- to run quickly
- variant of 驅|驱[qu1]
- old variant of 驅|驱[qu1]
How 驱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 区 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 驱
A horse 马 (mǎ) on the left and 区 (qū) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a rider spurring a horse to drive animals out of an area.
驱 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in compounds about pushing something forward or forcing it away, such as 驱动 (qūdòng, to drive, to power) and 驱逐 (qūzhú, to expel). Example: 他们被驱逐出境。(Tāmen bèi qūzhú chūjìng.) They were deported.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 欧 or 殴, which share 区 but add 欠 or 殳. In 驱, 区 stands alone next to 马. Also keep the first tone qū and do not confuse it with 去 (qù), which means to go.
Common words with 驱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 驱逐 | qūzhú | to expel; to deport | HSK 7-9 |
| 驱动 | qūdòng | to drive; to propel | HSK 7-9 |
| 驱使 | qūshǐ | to urge; to prompt | |
| 驱魔 | qūmó | to drive out devils; to exorcise | |
| 驱逐舰 | qūzhújiàn | destroyer (warship) | |
| 驱动器 | qūdòngqì | drive | |
| 驱逐出境 | qūzhúchūjìng | to deport; to expel | |
| 驱赶 | qūgǎn | to drive (vehicle); to drive out | |
| 驱散 | qūsàn | to disperse (a crowd etc); (fig.) to dispel (misgivings etc) | |
| 先驱 | xiānqū | to pioneer; pioneer; trailblazer | |
| 驱除 | qūchú | to drive off; to dispel | |
| 驱动程序 | qūdòngchéngxù | device driver (computing software) | |
| 驱车 | qūchē | to go by car (as driver or passenger) | |
| 驱走 | qūzǒu | to drive away |
驱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 驱
How many strokes are in 驱?
驱 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 驱 mean?
驱 (qū) means to spur a horse on; to expel, to drive away. A common word with it is 驱逐 (qūzhú), meaning "to expel; to deport".
How do you pronounce 驱?
驱 is pronounced qū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 驱?
The radical of 驱 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 驱 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 驱?
The traditional form of 驱 is 敺, 駈 and 驅. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 驱 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 驱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 驱 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 驱动 and 驾驶?
驱动 (qūdòng) means to power or propel something, like an engine driving wheels or a driver program in a computer. 驾驶 (jiàshǐ) means a person driving or piloting a vehicle.
Does 驱 still have anything to do with horses?
Only in its origin. Today it is used for driving away pests, enemies, evil spirits, or for motivation, as in 驱蚊 (qū wén, to repel mosquitoes) and 驱使 (qūshǐ, to prompt).