Meaning of 区
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- area
- region
- district
- small
- distinguish
Measure word: 個|个
- surname Ou
How to use 区
区 (qū) on its own often means an administrative district of a city, like 海淀区 (Hǎidiàn Qū). It also appears in many common words such as 地区 (dìqū) region, 社区 (shèqū) community, and 区别 (qūbié) difference. Example: 我住在市区。(Wǒ zhù zài shìqū.) I live in the city center.
Picture 区 (qū) as a box that is open on the right side, with an 乂 mark inside. Think of it as a marked-off zone on a map, an area with something inside its borders.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 区 (qū) with 医 (yī, medicine), which has the same open box shape but 矢 inside instead of 乂. Also remember the right side of the box is open, so do not close it into 口.
区 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
区 qū · area · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 区.
| 地区 | dìqū | region; area (informal or geographical term); prefecture (in China's administrative system |
| 区别 | qūbié | difference; to distinguish |
| 市区 | shìqū | urban district; downtown |
| 区域 | qūyù | area; region |
| 社区 | shèqū | community; neighborhood |
| 郊区 | jiāoqū | suburban district; outskirts; suburbs |
| 山区 | shānqū | mountain area |
| 灾区 | zāiqū | disaster area; stricken region |
| 区分 | qūfēn | to differentiate; to draw a distinction |
| 城区 | chéngqū | city district; urban area |
| 禁区 | jìnqū | restricted area; forbidden zone; off-limits area |
| 小区 | xiǎoqū | housing estate; community; neighborhood; (telecommunications) cell |
Questions about 区
What does 区 mean?
区 (qū) means "area; region" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 区?
区 is made of 1 character: 区 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 区 an HSK word?
Yes. 区 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 区 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 区 is written 區.
What is the difference between 区别 (qūbié) and 差别 (chābié)?
区别 can be a noun or a verb meaning to tell things apart, as in 区别对错 (to distinguish right from wrong). 差别 is only a noun and focuses on the gap or degree of difference between things.
Is 区 ever pronounced Ōu?
Yes. When 区 is a surname it is read Ōu, not qū. In everyday words like 地区 or 社区 it is always qū.