剧 (jù) is a Chinese character meaning “drama”. It is written from 居 (to reside; to dwell) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “drama”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
居 + 刂
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字新附: 劇，尤甚也。从力，豦聲（简化字形 剧 以 居 代 豦，右为 刂）
Memory aid
Inside a home (居), someone draws a knife (刂) — suddenly everyday life turns into a drama. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 京剧jīng jùPeking opera剧 = jù
- 剧场jù chǎngtheater (building)剧 = jù
- 吕剧lǚ jùLü opera, a local opera style from Shandong剧 = jù
- 沪剧hù jùShanghai opera剧 = jù
Go deeper
All readings
drama; play
drama; play; opera; severe, intense
戏剧，文艺的一种形式；也表示猛烈、厉害。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 京剧jīng jùPeking opera剧 = jù
- 剧场jù chǎngtheater (building)剧 = jù
- 吕剧lǚ jùLü opera, a local opera style from Shandong剧 = jù
- 沪剧hù jùShanghai opera剧 = jù
Sound component
居 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 剧 mean?
剧 (jù) means drama; play; opera; severe, intense.
How do you pronounce 剧?
It is pronounced jù.
What parts is 剧 made of?
居 (to reside; to dwell) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字新附: 劇，尤甚也。从力，豦聲（简化字形 剧 以 居 代 豦，右为 刂）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 剧 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 剧?
刂. 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 剧?
Common ones are 京剧, 剧场, 吕剧. The reading of 剧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.