住 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “to live somewhere”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to live somewhere”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 主
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：2 笔亻 + 5 笔主 = 7 笔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) next to 主, the owner of the house — and 主 also hands you the sound: 主 zhǔ, 住 zhù. The person who owns the place is the one who lives there.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 住宅zhù zháiresidence; dwelling house住 = zhù
- 抓住zhuā zhùto grab hold of; to catch住 = zhùHSK 4
- 叼住diāo zhùto hold fast in the mouth; to grip in the beak or teeth住 = zhù
- 困住kùn zhùto trap; to be stuck fast住 = zhù
- 扛住káng zhùto hold up under; to take the weight; to endure住 = zhù
- 拦住lán zhùto block; to stop someone in their tracks住 = zhù
- 盯住dīng zhùto keep one's eyes fixed on; to keep watch on住 = zhù
- 住宿zhù sùto stay (at); accommodation住 = zhù
- 堵住dǔ zhùto block up; to plug住 = zhù
- 居住jū zhùto live (somewhere); to reside住 = zhùHSK 4
- 怔住zhèng zhùto be stunned; to freeze in surprise住 = zhù
- 拴住shuān zhùto tie up; to fasten in place住 = zhù
- 挡住dǎng zhùto block; to hold back住 = zhù
- 捂住wǔ zhùto cover tightly (with the hand)住 = zhù
- 揪住jiū zhùto grab hold of; to seize firmly住 = zhù
- 搂住lǒu zhùto hold tight in one’s arms住 = zhù
- 逮住dǎi zhùto catch; to grab hold of住 = zhù
Go deeper
All readings
to live; to stay
to live somewhere; to stay or lodge; after a verb, to hold something fast or make it stop
居住、住宿；用在动词后表示牢固或停顿。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 住宅zhù zháiresidence; dwelling house住 = zhù
- 抓住zhuā zhùto grab hold of; to catch住 = zhùHSK 4
- 叼住diāo zhùto hold fast in the mouth; to grip in the beak or teeth住 = zhù
- 困住kùn zhùto trap; to be stuck fast住 = zhù
- 扛住káng zhùto hold up under; to take the weight; to endure住 = zhù
- 拦住lán zhùto block; to stop someone in their tracks住 = zhù
- 盯住dīng zhùto keep one's eyes fixed on; to keep watch on住 = zhù
- 住宿zhù sùto stay (at); accommodation住 = zhù
- 堵住dǔ zhùto block up; to plug住 = zhù
- 居住jū zhùto live (somewhere); to reside住 = zhùHSK 4
- 怔住zhèng zhùto be stunned; to freeze in surprise住 = zhù
- 拴住shuān zhùto tie up; to fasten in place住 = zhù
- 挡住dǎng zhùto block; to hold back住 = zhù
- 捂住wǔ zhùto cover tightly (with the hand)住 = zhù
- 揪住jiū zhùto grab hold of; to seize firmly住 = zhù
- 搂住lǒu zhùto hold tight in one’s arms住 = zhù
- 逮住dǎi zhùto catch; to grab hold of住 = zhù
Sound component
主 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 住 mean?
住 (zhù) means to live somewhere; to stay or lodge; after a verb, to hold something fast or make it stop.
How do you pronounce 住?
It is pronounced zhù.
What parts is 住 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：2 笔亻 + 5 笔主 = 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 住 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 住?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 住?
Common ones are 住宅 and 抓住. The reading of 住 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.