居 (jū) is a Chinese character meaning “to live”. It is written from 尸 (corpse) and 古 (old; ancient), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to reside, to live somewhere”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尸 + 古
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 尸 / 3-7 古）
Memory aid
A body (尸) leans back under the slab of a shelter, and 古 "old" settles in underneath. Both parts really are in this character: someone has been dwelling here a long time.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 居住jū zhùto live (somewhere); to reside居 = jūHSK 4
- 邻居lín jūneighbour居 = jūHSK 3
Go deeper
All readings
to reside
to live; to reside; to dwell; a residence
住；住的地方。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 居住jū zhùto live (somewhere); to reside居 = jūHSK 4
- 邻居lín jūneighbour居 = jūHSK 3
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 居 mean?
居 (jū) means to live; to reside; to dwell; a residence.
How do you pronounce 居?
It is pronounced jū.
What parts is 居 made of?
尸 (corpse) and 古 (old; ancient), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 尸 / 3-7 古）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 居 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 居?
尸. 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 居?
Common ones are 居住 and 邻居. The reading of 居 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.