处 (chù) is a Chinese character meaning “place”. It is written from 夂 (trailing foot; to go slowly) and 卜 (divination), one enclosing the other, and takes 5 strokes. It has a second reading, chǔ, which turns up in 处分 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “place”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
夂 + 卜
Enclosing structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿺夂卜，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–4 逐笔核验
Memory aid
A trailing foot (夂) sweeps around and comes to rest over a divining rod (卜) planted in the ground. Where the walking stops, that is the place.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 四处sì chùeverywhere; in all directions处 = chù
- 处处chù chùeverywhere; in every respect处 = chù
- 益处yì chùbenefit; advantage处 = chù
Go deeper
All readings
place
place; spot; location; (as a suffix) office, department
地方、位置；也用作机关部门的名称。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 四处sì chùeverywhere; in all directions处 = chù
- 处处chù chùeverywhere; in every respect处 = chù
- 益处yì chùbenefit; advantage处 = chù
to handle
to handle; to deal with; to manage; to get along with
办理、处置；也指与人相交往。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 处分chǔ fènto discipline; disciplinary action处 = chǔ
- 处罚chǔ fáto punish; to penalize处 = chǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 处 mean?
处 (chù) means place; spot; location; (as a suffix) office, department.
How do you pronounce 处?
Its main reading is chù. It also has a second reading, chǔ, which only shows up in certain words such as 处分 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 处 sometimes pronounced chǔ?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 处分 it is read chǔ.
What parts is 处 made of?
夂 (trailing foot; to go slowly) and 卜 (divination), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿺夂卜，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–4 逐笔核验. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 处 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 处?
夂. 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 处?
Common ones are 四处 and 处处. The reading of 处 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.