轴 (zhóu) is a Chinese character meaning “axle”. It is written from 车 (vehicle; cart) and 由 (from; by way of; cause), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “axle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
车 + 由
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·車部（軸，持輪也。从車由聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：9 画 = 车 4 画 + 由 5 画
Memory aid
A cart (车) and 由 on its right: the bar the cart turns 由 (by way of) — the axle it spins around.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 车轴chē zhóuaxle (of a wheeled vehicle)轴 = zhóu
- 轴心zhóu xīnaxis; pivot; core轴 = zhóu
Go deeper
All readings
axle
axle; shaft; axis; pivot; spool
轮子中间穿轴承的杆；机器上转动的杆状零件，也指中心、核心。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 车轴chē zhóuaxle (of a wheeled vehicle)轴 = zhóu
- 轴心zhóu xīnaxis; pivot; core轴 = zhóu
Sound component
由 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 轴 mean?
轴 (zhóu) means axle; shaft; axis; pivot; spool.
How do you pronounce 轴?
It is pronounced zhóu.
What parts is 轴 made of?
车 (vehicle; cart) and 由 (from; by way of; cause), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·車部（軸，持輪也。从車由聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：9 画 = 车 4 画 + 由 5 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 轴 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 轴?
车. 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 轴?
Common ones are 车轴 and 轴心. The reading of 轴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.