挫 (cuò) is a Chinese character meaning “to suffer a setback”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 坐 (to sit), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “setback; to defeat”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 坐
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰扌坐），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：左「扌」3 画 + 右「坐」7 画 = 10 画；「扌」为手部，与手的动作相关，「坐 zuò」与「挫 cuò」韵母声调相同、声母 z/c 仅送气之别，判为声符。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。
Memory aid
A hand (扌) shoves down someone who is sitting (坐) — knocked back, they suffer a setback. That is 挫.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 挫折cuò zhésetback; frustration挫 = cuò
- 受挫shòu cuòto suffer a setback挫 = cuò
Go deeper
All readings
setback; to defeat
to suffer a setback; to frustrate; to defeat; to subdue (someone’s spirit or momentum)
失败，不顺利；也指压下去、使受挫，如「挫折」「受挫」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 挫折cuò zhésetback; frustration挫 = cuò
- 受挫shòu cuòto suffer a setback挫 = cuò
Sound component
坐 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 挫 mean?
挫 (cuò) means to suffer a setback; to frustrate; to defeat; to subdue (someone’s spirit or momentum).
How do you pronounce 挫?
It is pronounced cuò.
What parts is 挫 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 坐 (to sit), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰扌坐），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：左「扌」3 画 + 右「坐」7 画 = 10 画；「扌」为手部，与手的动作相关，「坐 zuò」与「挫 cuò」韵母声调相同、声母 z/c 仅送气之别，判为声符。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 挫 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 挫?
手. 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 挫?
Common ones are 挫折 and 受挫. The reading of 挫 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.