阻 (zǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to block”. It is written from 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 且 (moreover; for the time being), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to block; to hinder”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
阝 + 且
Left–right structure
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
- 且 moreover; for the time being · qiě sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：阻 = 阝(阜) + 且；Unicode U+963B radical 170 (阜)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–1 笔为阝(2 画)，2–6 笔为且(5 画)，合计 7 画
Memory aid
阝 on the left is a steep bank of earth. 且 on the right is a stack piled up against it. Earth heaped across the path — you are blocked.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 阻止zǔ zhǐto stop; to prevent阻 = zǔspoken aszú zhǐ
- 阻力zǔ lìresistance; drag阻 = zǔ
- 阻拦zǔ lánto obstruct; to bar someone from doing something阻 = zǔ
- 阻挠zǔ náoto obstruct; to thwart阻 = zǔ
- 阻挡zǔ dǎngto obstruct; to stop阻 = zǔspoken aszú dǎng
Go deeper
All readings
to block; to hinder
to block; to hinder; to obstruct; to impede
拦住，使不能通过或不能进行。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 阻止zǔ zhǐto stop; to prevent阻 = zǔspoken aszú zhǐ
- 阻力zǔ lìresistance; drag阻 = zǔ
- 阻拦zǔ lánto obstruct; to bar someone from doing something阻 = zǔ
- 阻挠zǔ náoto obstruct; to thwart阻 = zǔ
- 阻挡zǔ dǎngto obstruct; to stop阻 = zǔspoken aszú dǎng
Sound component
且 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 阻 mean?
阻 (zǔ) means to block; to hinder; to obstruct; to impede.
How do you pronounce 阻?
It is pronounced zǔ.
What parts is 阻 made of?
阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 且 (moreover; for the time being), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：阻 = 阝(阜) + 且；Unicode U+963B radical 170 (阜)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–1 笔为阝(2 画)，2–6 笔为且(5 画)，合计 7 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 阻 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 阻?
阜. 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 阻?
Common ones are 阻止 and 阻力. The reading of 阻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.