注 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “to pour (liquid) into”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pour; to concentrate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 主
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「注，灌也。从水主聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵主，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「主」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, 主 on the right. 主 is the sound part here (zhǔ → zhù), and it also reads like the host pouring water for a guest — 注 is to pour, and to pour all of your attention into one thing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 注意zhù yìto pay attention; to take notice注 = zhù
- 注册zhù cèto register; to sign up注 = zhù
- 注射zhù shèto inject; injection注 = zhù
Go deeper
All readings
to pour; to concentrate
to pour (liquid) into; to concentrate (attention) on; to note; to register
把水或别的液体灌进去；引申为把精神集中在某处，也指记载、登记。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 注意zhù yìto pay attention; to take notice注 = zhù
- 注册zhù cèto register; to sign up注 = zhù
- 注射zhù shèto inject; injection注 = zhù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 注 mean?
注 (zhù) means to pour (liquid) into; to concentrate (attention) on; to note; to register.
How do you pronounce 注?
It is pronounced zhù.
What parts is 注 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「注，灌也。从水主聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵主，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「主」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 注 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 注?
氵. 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 注?
Common ones are 注意 and 注册. The reading of 注 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.