殴 (ōu) is a Chinese character meaning “to beat up”. It is written from 区 (area, district) and 殳 (a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to beat up”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
区 + 殳
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+6BB4 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「区」4 笔 + 右「殳」4 笔 = 8 笔）
Memory aid
On the right, 殳 — a hand gripping a long-handled weapon. On the left, 区, an enclosure with something shut inside it. Someone cornered, and a raised weapon: 殴, to beat up.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 殴打ōu dǎto beat up; to assault殴 = ōu
- 斗殴dòu ōuto brawl; to come to blows殴 = ōu
Go deeper
All readings
to beat up
to beat up; to hit or strike a person with the hands or an object
打人；用手或器物击打别人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 殴打ōu dǎto beat up; to assault殴 = ōu
- 斗殴dòu ōuto brawl; to come to blows殴 = ōu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 殴 mean?
殴 (ōu) means to beat up; to hit or strike a person with the hands or an object.
How do you pronounce 殴?
It is pronounced ōu.
What parts is 殴 made of?
区 (area, district) and 殳 (a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+6BB4 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「区」4 笔 + 右「殳」4 笔 = 8 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 殴 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 殴?
殳. 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 殴?
Common ones are 殴打 and 斗殴. The reading of 殴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.