绝 (jué) is a Chinese character meaning “to cut off”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 色 (colour; look, appearance), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to cut off; absolutely”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 色
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：絕，斷絲也。从糸从刀从卪。现代简化字形以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：9 画 = 纟 3 画 + 色 6 画；右半「色」只是现代字形部件，由古字形中的刀、卪演变而来，与「颜色」义无构字关系；部首取康熙 120 糸部
Memory aid
A silk thread (纟) that has lost all its colour (色) is used up and snaps — 绝: cut off, gone, no more. (This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.)
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 拒绝jù juéto refuse; to reject绝 = jué
- 绝对jué duìabsolutely; definitely; absolute绝 = jué
- 杜绝dù juéto put an end to; to eradicate; to stamp out绝 = jué
- 络绎不绝luò yì bù juéin an endless stream — people or traffic coming and going without a break绝 = jué
Go deeper
All readings
to cut off; absolutely
to cut off; to sever; to be used up; unique, unmatched; absolutely; extremely
断；断绝。也指穷尽、独一无二的，或表示极、完全。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拒绝jù juéto refuse; to reject绝 = jué
- 绝对jué duìabsolutely; definitely; absolute绝 = jué
- 杜绝dù juéto put an end to; to eradicate; to stamp out绝 = jué
- 络绎不绝luò yì bù juéin an endless stream — people or traffic coming and going without a break绝 = jué
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绝 mean?
绝 (jué) means to cut off; to sever; to be used up; unique, unmatched; absolutely; extremely.
How do you pronounce 绝?
It is pronounced jué.
What parts is 绝 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 色 (colour; look, appearance), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：絕，斷絲也。从糸从刀从卪。现代简化字形以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：9 画 = 纟 3 画 + 色 6 画；右半「色」只是现代字形部件，由古字形中的刀、卪演变而来，与「颜色」义无构字关系；部首取康熙 120 糸部. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绝 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绝?
糸. 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 绝?
Common ones are 拒绝, 绝对, 杜绝. The reading of 绝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.