取 (qǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to take”. It is written from 耳 (ear) and 又 (again), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to take”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
耳 + 又
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：取，捕取也。从又从耳。《周礼》：获者取左耳。
Memory aid
An ear (耳) on the left, a hand (又) on the right: the hand reaches over and takes hold of the ear. Both parts are really in this character — 取 is to take, to get.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 取出qǔ chūto take out; to withdraw (money, an item)取 = qǔ
- 听取tīng qǔto listen to; to hear out (opinions, a report)取 = qǔ
- 夺取duó qǔto seize; to capture; to strive for取 = qǔ
- 取消qǔ xiāoto cancel; to call off取 = qǔ
- 拾取shí qǔto pick up; to gather up取 = qǔ
Go deeper
All readings
to take
to take; to get; to fetch; to obtain; to choose; to adopt
拿到手里；得到。也表示选择、采用。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 取出qǔ chūto take out; to withdraw (money, an item)取 = qǔ
- 听取tīng qǔto listen to; to hear out (opinions, a report)取 = qǔ
- 夺取duó qǔto seize; to capture; to strive for取 = qǔ
- 取消qǔ xiāoto cancel; to call off取 = qǔ
- 拾取shí qǔto pick up; to gather up取 = qǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 取 mean?
取 (qǔ) means to take; to get; to fetch; to obtain; to choose; to adopt.
How do you pronounce 取?
It is pronounced qǔ.
What parts is 取 made of?
耳 (ear) and 又 (again), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：取，捕取也。从又从耳。《周礼》：获者取左耳。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 取 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 取?
又. 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 取?
Common ones are 取出, 听取, 夺取. The reading of 取 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.