窒 (zhì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

窒

zhì[zhi4]Tone 4

to obstruct

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · to obstruct

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The top roof component (穴) must be broad and crown the structure, while the lower body (至) is neatly nested underneath without crowding.

1. Meaning

to obstruct or block up

to suffocatestifled

VerbFormalBound morpheme#obstruction#medical#physical state

Sample Usage

窒息
zhìxī
to suffocate / asphyxiate
窒碍
zhì'ài
impediment / obstacle

2. Sound

/[ʈʂʐ̩⁵¹]/Tone: 51

窒

zhìzhi4

`(51)

=zhì

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

zhi

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

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

i (-i*)

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: apical vowel after retroflex

Note: Written as 'i (-i*)', pronounced as rounded 'i' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-i' (rr/zz).

Common Learner Trap: Do NOT pronounce '-i' as 'ee' after zh-! Keep your tongue in the consonant position and buzz 'rr/zz'.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply downward like an emphatic 'No!' or a command.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'zh-' with the alveolar-palatal 'j-' or dental 'z-'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful downward karate chop matching the 4th tone drop from high to low.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top roof component (穴) must be broad and crown the structure, while the lower body (至) is neatly nested underneath without crowding.

4. Components

Radical 穴 · Cave Radical (cave, hole, opening)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 穴 (denotes a cave or enclosed opening)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 至 (original sound: zhì)

A cave (穴) that someone has reached (至) the end of, or blocked up completely.

穴 Cave or hole roof at the top
至 Arrive or utmost at the bottom, providing the sound and secondary meaning clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 窒 (zhì)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the cave/opening sign (穴) and the phonetic/meaning element 'arrive' (至), depicting an opening that is closed or reached to a dead end.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to blocking a hole or cave, later expanding to any form of blockage, obstruction, or suffocation.

Frequently encountered in compound words related to breathing difficulties or administrative bottlenecks.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: チツ

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

질

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine getting trapped inside a cave (穴) until you arrive (至) at a dead end where airflow is completely obstructed and you might suffocate.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

膣

zhìvagina+ ⺼ (meat)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

至(zhì)

Missing the top cave roof (穴) radical.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

浓烟滚滚，让人感到呼吸[___]。

Clue: zhì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top cave radical (穴) with the roof radical (宀) or confusing tone 4 with tone 1 or 2.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 窒 mean when you see it paired with 息 in 窒息?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to obstruct' (zhì) using the cave radical and the 'arrive' component?

窒zhìto obstruct

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