How to Write 救 (jiù) — Meaning “to save; to rescue”

Imagine a person with raised arms (求 looks like someone begging) and a hand or tool (攵) reaching out to save them. This visual of begging for help and then receiving action helps you recall that 救 means "to rescue".

The left part 求 has 7 strokes: write the horizontal line first, then the vertical hook, then the rising stroke, then the left-falling and right-falling strokes, and finally the dot. The right part 攵 has 4 strokes: start with a short left-falling stroke, then a horizontal line, then a left-falling, and finish with a right-falling. A common mistake is to forget the dot in 求 or to make the two sides uneven in size.

All three characters share the 攵 component on the right, but their left parts differ. 救 uses 求 (to beg), so it relates to rescue. 政 uses 正 (correct, upright) and means "politics" or "government". 敃 uses 民 (people) and means "strong" or "resolute". So they look similar but have completely different meanings.

You hear 救 most often in emergencies, like shouting 救命 (jiù mìng, "Help!") when in danger. It also appears in words like 救护车 (ambulance) and 营救 (to rescue in a planned operation). In modern Chinese, 救 is a very common word for any kind of saving, from saving a life to saving money (though for money it's more often 省 shěng).

Common words containing 救 include: 救命 (jiù mìng) — Help!; to save a life; 救护车 (jiù hù chē) — ambulance; 营救 (yíng jiù) — to rescue; to save.