祝 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “to wish”. It is written from 礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 兄 (elder brother), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to wish”
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Structure
礻 + 兄
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·示部：祝，祭主贊詞者。从示从人口（现代字形 礻4+兄5=9，已按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验）
Memory aid
At the altar (礻), the elder brother (兄) speaks up for the family — offering good wishes.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 祝福zhù fúblessing; to wish someone well祝 = zhù
- 庆祝qìng zhùto celebrate祝 = zhù
- 祝贺zhù hèto congratulate; congratulations祝 = zhù
Go deeper
All readings
to wish
to wish; to express good wishes
表示良好的愿望，如祝福、祝贺。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 祝福zhù fúblessing; to wish someone well祝 = zhù
- 庆祝qìng zhùto celebrate祝 = zhù
- 祝贺zhù hèto congratulate; congratulations祝 = zhù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 祝 mean?
祝 (zhù) means to wish; to express good wishes.
How do you pronounce 祝?
It is pronounced zhù.
What parts is 祝 made of?
礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 兄 (elder brother), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·示部：祝，祭主贊詞者。从示从人口（现代字形 礻4+兄5=9，已按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 祝 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 祝?
示. 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 祝?
Common ones are 祝福 and 庆祝. The reading of 祝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.