惧 (jù) is a Chinese character meaning “to fear”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 具 (tool; utensil), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to fear”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
忄 + 具
Left–right structure
Structure from: makemeahanzi decomposition ⿰忄具 (pictophonetic: semantic 忄, phonetic 具) + cjkvi-ids U+60E7 ⿰忄具; strokes verified against hanzi-writer-data (忄 0–2, 具 3–10)
Memory aid
A heart (忄) staring at a table full of tools (具) — it trembles with fear. 具 (jù) also gives the sound: 惧 is jù too.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 恐惧kǒng jùfear; dread; to be afraid惧 = jù
- 畏惧wèi jùto fear; to dread惧 = jù
- 惧怕jù pàto fear; to be afraid of惧 = jù
Go deeper
All readings
to fear
to fear; to dread; to be afraid of
害怕；畏惧。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 恐惧kǒng jùfear; dread; to be afraid惧 = jù
- 畏惧wèi jùto fear; to dread惧 = jù
- 惧怕jù pàto fear; to be afraid of惧 = jù
Sound component
具 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 惧 mean?
惧 (jù) means to fear; to dread; to be afraid of.
How do you pronounce 惧?
It is pronounced jù.
What parts is 惧 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 具 (tool; utensil), side by side. The recorded source is: makemeahanzi decomposition ⿰忄具 (pictophonetic: semantic 忄, phonetic 具) + cjkvi-ids U+60E7 ⿰忄具; strokes verified against hanzi-writer-data (忄 0–2, 具 3–10). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 惧 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惧?
忄. 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 惧?
Common ones are 恐惧, 畏惧, 惧怕. The reading of 惧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.