Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now
咋 Chinese character image - Hanzi Now

咋 Stroke Order — How to Write 咋

Stroke Order

咋 is written in 8 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 口, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

咋 Radical and Character Components

Components:口乍

咋 is a phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) carries the meaning, while 乍 indicates the sound.

Radical: 口 + 5 more strokes

咋 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • zǎ
  • zé
  • zhā

Meanings of 咋 in Chinese

1

zǎ咋

Used in dialects as an interrogative pronoun, similar to 'how', 'what', or 'why'.
你觉得这件衣服咋样？
What do you think of this dress?
2

zé咋

To shout loudly; to yell.
他咋呼了一声，把大家都吓了一跳
He let out a loud shout, startling everyone.
To bite (one's tongue), typically used in "咋舌" (zéshé) to describe being so astonished, fearful, or regretful that one is speechless or holds back from speaking.
听到这个消息，他惊得咋舌，半天说不出话来。
Upon hearing the news, he was so astonished that he was speechless for a long time.
3

zhā咋

When pronounced 'zhā', '咋' is typically used in the compound '咋呼' (zhā hu), meaning to shout loudly to attract attention, or to brag and show off.
他喜欢咋呼自己认识多少大人物，其实没那么夸张
He likes to brag about how many important people he knows, but it's actually not that exaggerated.

Common Words and Phrases with 咋

1
zǎ咋gè个
how; in what way (dialectal)
你今天咋个这么高兴？
Why are you so happy today?
2
zhā咋hū呼
To shout blusteringly; to show off or brag.
他总是喜欢咋呼，但实际行动却很少。
He always likes to make a big fuss and show off, but his actual actions are very few.
3
zé咋shé舌
To be speechless with astonishment or fear; to gasp in amazement.
看到他以惊人的速度解决了一道难题，所有人都咋舌。
When he solved a difficult problem at an astonishing speed, everyone was dumbfounded.

More words with 咋

Idioms with 咋

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Questions about 咋

What does 咋 mean in Chinese?

咋 (zǎ) means “Used in dialects as an interrogative pronoun, similar to 'how', 'what', or 'why'” in Chinese.

How do you pronounce 咋?

咋 has 3 pronunciations: zǎ, zé, zhā.

How many strokes does 咋 have?

咋 has 8 strokes.

How do you write 咋?

咋 is written in 8 strokes, starting from the radical 口. See the animated stroke order on this page.

What is the radical of 咋?

The radical of 咋 is 口, and 咋 is a phono-semantic compound.