驻 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “to halt and stay in a place”. It is written from 马 (horse) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to be stationed; to halt”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
马 + 主
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰马主，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「马」（3 笔），笔画 3–7 为「主」（5 笔），合计 8 笔
Memory aid
A horse (马) stops where its owner (主) stands — the rider halts and stays put. 主 also hands you the sound: zhǔ → zhù.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 驻扎zhù zhāto be stationed; to be garrisoned; to encamp驻 = zhù
- 驻足zhù zúto halt; to stop and linger驻 = zhù
Go deeper
All readings
to be stationed; to halt
to halt and stay in a place; to be stationed or based somewhere (troops, staff, a mission)
停留；（军队、机构、人员）驻扎在某地。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 驻扎zhù zhāto be stationed; to be garrisoned; to encamp驻 = zhù
- 驻足zhù zúto halt; to stop and linger驻 = zhù
Sound component
主 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 驻 mean?
驻 (zhù) means to halt and stay in a place; to be stationed or based somewhere (troops, staff, a mission).
How do you pronounce 驻?
It is pronounced zhù.
What parts is 驻 made of?
马 (horse) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰马主，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「马」（3 笔），笔画 3–7 为「主」（5 笔），合计 8 笔. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 驻 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 驻?
马. 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 驻?
Common ones are 驻扎 and 驻足. The reading of 驻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.