距 (jù) is a Chinese character meaning “distance”. It is written from 足 (foot; leg) and 巨 (huge; giant), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “distance”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
足 + 巨
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 距，鸡距也。从足巨声（现代字形拆分 IDS ⿰足巨，左侧作偏旁 ⻊；笔画核验 足7 + 巨4 = 11）
Memory aid
A foot (足) taking a huge (巨) stride — that is how you measure a distance.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 距离jù lídistance; to be apart from距 = jù
- 差距chā jùgap; disparity; difference距 = jù
Go deeper
All readings
distance; to be apart from
distance; to be at a distance from; (of a rooster) spur
相隔；两处之间相隔的长度。也指雄鸡爪后面突出像脚趾的部分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 距离jù lídistance; to be apart from距 = jù
- 差距chā jùgap; disparity; difference距 = jù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 距 mean?
距 (jù) means distance; to be at a distance from; (of a rooster) spur.
How do you pronounce 距?
It is pronounced jù.
What parts is 距 made of?
足 (foot; leg) and 巨 (huge; giant), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 距，鸡距也。从足巨声（现代字形拆分 IDS ⿰足巨，左侧作偏旁 ⻊；笔画核验 足7 + 巨4 = 11）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 距 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 距?
足. 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 距?
Common ones are 距离 and 差距. The reading of 距 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.