株 (zhū) is a Chinese character meaning “trunk or stump of a tree”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 朱 (vermilion; bright red), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “tree stump; plant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 朱
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·木部：株，木根也。从木朱聲
Memory aid
A tree (木) with a bright red (朱) ribbon tied around its trunk — so you can count it: one plant, one 株. The red half also gives the sound: zhū.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tùto wait by a tree stump for a hare to run into it; to wait for luck instead of working株 = zhū
- 植株zhí zhūplant (as a whole individual)株 = zhū
Go deeper
All readings
tree stump; plant (measure word)
trunk or stump of a tree; plant; measure word for trees and plants
露在地面上的树根和树干；植物体；也用作量词，用于树木和植物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tùto wait by a tree stump for a hare to run into it; to wait for luck instead of working株 = zhū
- 植株zhí zhūplant (as a whole individual)株 = zhū
Sound component
朱 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 株 mean?
株 (zhū) means trunk or stump of a tree; plant; measure word for trees and plants.
How do you pronounce 株?
It is pronounced zhū.
What parts is 株 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 朱 (vermilion; bright red), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·木部：株，木根也。从木朱聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 株 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 株?
木. 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 株?
Common ones are 守株待兔 and 植株. The reading of 株 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.