殴 (ōu) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

殴

ōu[ou1]Tone 1

to beat up

HSK 7

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毆

Guru Deep Dive

English · to beat up

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (区) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (殳) forms the striking action and should be balanced evenly so the character does not lean.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 毆 by replacing the traditional complex phonetic component with a simpler structure while maintaining the radical.

1. Meaning

to beat up, to hit someone

surname Ou

Verb / SurnameFormal / Literary in modern usage (often seen in compounds like 殴打 ōudǎ)Bound morpheme#violence#action#crime

Sample Usage

他们因为争吵而互相殴打。
tāmen yīnwèi zhēngchǎo ér hùxiāng ōudǎ.
They beat each other up because of an argument.
警方逮捕了涉嫌殴打他人的嫌疑人。
jǐngfāng dàibù le shèxián ōudǎ tārén de xiányírén.
Police arrested the suspect involved in beating others.

2. Sound

/[oʊ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

殴

ōuou1

Vowel start++

¯(55)

=ōu

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Vowel start

Type: Vowel start

Sounds like: Vowel start

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Starts directly on the vowel sound without consonant obstruction.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Open vocal tract directly into the target vowel shape.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh/ow sound

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is flat and high, matching the pitch of a sustained musical note or flat line of surprise.

👂

Listening trap: Learners often confuse zero-initial vowels starting with 'o' with 'u' or 'ao'. Ensure it sounds pure and high without dipping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Hold a steady, high horizontal hand gesture in front of your chest, maintaining a flat high voice like a singer hitting a high note.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (区) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (殳) forms the striking action and should be balanced evenly so the character does not lean.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 毆 by replacing the traditional complex phonetic component with a simpler structure while maintaining the radical.

4. Components

Radical 殳 · Weapon Radical (weapon, striking tool, spear)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 殳 (Indicates striking, hitting, or beating with a weapon or hand.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 区 (original sound: ōu / qū)

An area or container (区) is struck forcefully with a weapon or stick (殳), resulting in a beating (ōu).

区 area / container / phonetic clue
殳 weapon / striking tool radical

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

14· Phonetic Root: 区 (ōu)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 区 (representing the sound or a bounded enclosure) and 殳 (representing a weapon or hand striking), depicting the act of hitting someone.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to striking or beating with force; modern usage is almost exclusively found in compound words like 殴打 (to beat up) or as a surname.

The radical 殳 historically depicts a hand holding a weapon or a long wooden staff used for striking.
As a surname, Ou (ōu) has ancient roots in Chinese history.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: オウ

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine someone striking an enclosed area (区) with a long wooden weapon (殳) to beat up (ōu) the trouble inside.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

区

ōudistrictPhonetic Core (声旁)

呕

ǒuvomit+ 口 (mouth)

抠

kōuto dig, pick, scratch, or be stingy+ 扌 (hand)

枢

shū(bound form) hinge; pivot (usu. fig.)+ 木 (tree)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

欧(ōu)

欧 means Europe and uses the mouth/yawn component (欠), whereas 殴 means to beat up and uses the weapon component (殳).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

如果有人对你实施暴力或试图[___]你，请立即报警。

Clue: ōu

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 殴 (ōudǎ - to beat up) with 欧 (ōuzhōu - Europe) due to identical pronunciation and similar components.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 殴, what action does it signify and what is its tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to beat up' (ōudǎ) with radical 殳?

殴ōuto beat up

Speed:

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