窒 (zhì) is a Chinese character meaning “to block up”. It is written from 穴 (cave; hole) and 至 (to arrive; to reach), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to block; to obstruct”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
穴 + 至
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·穴部：窒，塞也。从穴至聲（现代字形已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：穴 5 画 + 至 6 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
Something pushes all the way in (至) until it reaches the back of a cave (穴) and plugs it — nothing can get through. That is 窒: blocked.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 窒息zhì xīto suffocate; to stifle窒 = zhì
Go deeper
All readings
to block; to obstruct
to block up; to obstruct; to stop (breathing, flow)
堵塞，不通。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 窒息zhì xīto suffocate; to stifle窒 = zhì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 窒 mean?
窒 (zhì) means to block up; to obstruct; to stop (breathing, flow).
How do you pronounce 窒?
It is pronounced zhì.
What parts is 窒 made of?
穴 (cave; hole) and 至 (to arrive; to reach), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·穴部：窒，塞也。从穴至聲（现代字形已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：穴 5 画 + 至 6 画 = 11 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 窒 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 窒?
穴. 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 窒?
Common ones are 窒息. The reading of 窒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.