促 (cù) is a Chinese character meaning “to urge”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 足 (foot; leg), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to urge; hurried”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 足
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：亻 2 画 + 足 7 画 = 促 9 画）
Memory aid
A person (亻) right behind your foot (足) — someone at your heels is exactly what makes you hurry.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 促进cù jìnto promote; to advance (something)促 = cù
- 催促cuī cùto urge someone to hurry促 = cù
Go deeper
All readings
to urge; hurried
to urge; to push something forward; hurried, close together in time
催；推动。也指时间紧、间隔近。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 促进cù jìnto promote; to advance (something)促 = cù
- 催促cuī cùto urge someone to hurry促 = cù
Sound component
足 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 促 mean?
促 (cù) means to urge; to push something forward; hurried, close together in time.
How do you pronounce 促?
It is pronounced cù.
What parts is 促 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 足 (foot; leg), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：亻 2 画 + 足 7 画 = 促 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 促 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 促?
亻. 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 促?
Common ones are 促进 and 催促. The reading of 促 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.