急 (jí) is a Chinese character meaning “urgent”. It is written from 刍 (hay; fodder; to cut grass for feed) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “urgent; in a hurry”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
刍 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（刍 5 画 + 心 4 画 = 9 画；笔画 0–4 为上部，5–8 为心）
Memory aid
A heart (心) with 刍 — a bundle of cut hay — piled right on top of it. Dry grass over a beating heart: one spark and everything goes up. That pressed, about-to-catch-fire feeling is 急.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 着急zháo jíto worry; to feel anxious; to be in a flap急 = jíHSK 3
- 急忙jí mánghurriedly; in a rush急 = jí
- 紧急jǐn jíurgent; emergency急 = jí
Go deeper
All readings
urgent; anxious
urgent; pressing; anxious; worried; in a hurry; fast and hard to stop
又快又紧迫，来不及慢慢等；也指心里发慌。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 着急zháo jíto worry; to feel anxious; to be in a flap急 = jíHSK 3
- 急忙jí mánghurriedly; in a rush急 = jí
- 紧急jǐn jíurgent; emergency急 = jí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 急 mean?
急 (jí) means urgent; pressing; anxious; worried; in a hurry; fast and hard to stop.
How do you pronounce 急?
It is pronounced jí.
What parts is 急 made of?
刍 (hay; fodder; to cut grass for feed) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（刍 5 画 + 心 4 画 = 9 画；笔画 0–4 为上部，5–8 为心）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 急 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 急?
心. 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 急?
Common ones are 着急, 急忙, 紧急. The reading of 急 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.