HanziGuru.註 · zhù
註
zhù[zhu4]Tone 4

to annotate, register, or pour

HSK 3
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注
Guru Deep Dive

English · to annotate, register, or pour

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:8
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left water radical slim and compact so that the right phonetic component has enough space to expand without looking squished.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 註 uses 言 (speech) on the left, whereas the simplified form uses 氵 (water) on the left because water and speech both relate to flowing streams of information.
1. Meaning

to annotate, to provide explanatory notes

to register or put on recordto pour liquid into somethingto focus or concentrate attention
Verb / NounNeutral#writing#administration#action
Sample Usage
  • 请在书上做笔记。
    qǐng zài shū shàng zuò bǐ jì.
    Please take notes in your book.
  • 这篇文章需要 Sǐ 注解。
    zhè piān wén zhāng xū yào zhù jiě.
    This article needs annotations and explanations.
2. Sound
/[ʈʂu⁵¹]/Tone: 51
註
zhùzhu4
++
`(51)
=zhù
Initial Consonant
zh
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
u
Vowel Group: -u vowel group
Sounds like: oo sound as in boot
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, similar to saying 'No!' or 'Stop!' in English when giving a firm command.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex zhù with the dental alveolar zù. Make sure your tongue is curled backward, not resting against the back of your front teeth.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful downward hand chop starting high and plunging down, mirroring the drop in pitch from high to low.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left water radical slim and compact so that the right phonetic component has enough space to expand without looking squished.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 註 uses 言 (speech) on the left, whereas the simplified form uses 氵 (water) on the left because water and speech both relate to flowing streams of information.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water, liquid)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (indicates flowing liquid, which metaphorically connects to pouring notes or explanations)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 主 (original sound: zhǔ)

Water (氵) is poured like a master or main lord (主) guiding the text with explanatory notes.

  • 氵 water / flowing stream
  • 主 lord / master / main
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed with speech (言) on the left and master (主) on the right to indicate authoritative commentary or royal instruction, later shifted in simplified Chinese to water (氵).

Semantic Evolution: Originally meaning to pour water, it extended to pouring words or notes into a text (annotating), and further to recording official details (registering).

  • Ancient scholars would pour explanatory notes into the margins of classical texts, giving rise to the character's core annotation meaning.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: チュウ (chuu) / Kun: 注.ぐ (sosogu) / さす (sasu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
주
Sound Shift Bridge: The Mandarin retroflex initial zh corresponds historically to ch/j sounds in Japanese On'yomi and Sino-Korean readings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

The master (主) pours a stream of water (氵) over the textbook to wash away confusion, leaving clear annotations (注) behind.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
住
zhùto live, to stayUses person radical (亻) instead of water, meaning a person stays somewhere.
柱
zhùpillar, postUses wood radical (木) instead of water, meaning a wooden pillar.
驻
zhùto station, to驻守Uses horse radical (马) instead of water, representing stationed cavalry.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
住(zhù)
住 has the person radical (亻) for living/residing, while 注 has the water radical (氵) for pouring/annotating.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
請在課文下面做[___]。
Clue: zhù jiě
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left radical with the speech radical (讠) when writing by hand, or mixing it up with 住 (zhù) due to identical pinyin pronunciation.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 注 with a water radical and 主 phonetic, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write and pronounce the character meaning 'to annotate' or 'to register' (zhù)?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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