卓 (zhuó) is a Chinese character meaning “outstanding”. It is written from ⺊ (vertical mark above a short horizontal) and 早 (early; morning), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “outstanding”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺊ + 早
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（第 1–2 笔为 ⺊，第 3–8 笔为 早，合计 8 笔）
Memory aid
A short upright mark (⺊) planted on top of 早 (early / morning): the one who is already up and standing head-and-shoulders above everyone else at dawn — outstanding.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 卓越zhuó yuèoutstanding; excellent卓 = zhuó
- 卓有成效zhuó yǒu chéng xiàohighly effective; producing remarkable results卓 = zhuó
Go deeper
All readings
outstanding
outstanding; eminent; standing tall above the rest
高而直立，引申为超出一般、非常优秀。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 卓越zhuó yuèoutstanding; excellent卓 = zhuó
- 卓有成效zhuó yǒu chéng xiàohighly effective; producing remarkable results卓 = zhuó
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 卓 mean?
卓 (zhuó) means outstanding; eminent; standing tall above the rest.
How do you pronounce 卓?
It is pronounced zhuó.
What parts is 卓 made of?
⺊ (vertical mark above a short horizontal) and 早 (early; morning), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（第 1–2 笔为 ⺊，第 3–8 笔为 早，合计 8 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 卓 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 卓?
卜. 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 卓?
Common ones are 卓越 and 卓有成效. The reading of 卓 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.