揪

jiū
#3,059 most
frequent character
to hold tight
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

揪 has 扌 (a hand) as its meaning part and 秋 qiū as a sound part. It first meant 'to tie up, bind.' That grew to 'to seize, grab firmly' and then 'to clutch, hold tight.'

Ask DeepSeek

Example Sentences

我揪住了他的手。
wǒ jiūzhù le tāde shǒu 。
I held onto his hand tightly.
她揪住了衣服的边缘。
tā jiūzhù le yīfú de biānyuán 。
She held tightly onto the edge of the clothes.
你不要揪我的头发。
nǐ búyào jiū wǒde tóufà 。
Don’t hold my hair tightly.

Words with similar meanings

抓zhuā
to grab
This is a more general term that can imply a less gentle action of holding or catching.
握wò
to grasp
This term emphasizes a firm hold, often used in contexts involving hands.

Homophones

究jiū
after all, to investigate
纠jiū
to gather together, to investigate

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.