How to Write 狙 (jū) — Meaning “To lie in wait; sniper”

Imagine a wolf (犭) hiding behind a wall (the right part 且 looks like a rectangular scope or a wall) ready to ambush. This visual of a predator waiting in a sniping position directly matches the meaning "to lie in wait" or "sniper."

Write the left radical 犭 with three strokes: a short left-falling stroke, then a left-falling hook, then another shorter left-falling stroke. The right part 且 has five strokes starting with a vertical line down, then three horizontal lines, and a final bottom horizontal line. Common mistake is making the hook too long or not keeping the right side narrow.

犴 (hān or àn) has a right part 干 (gàn) and refers to a type of wild dog or a jail, not sniping. 状 (zhuàng) has a left part 丬 and right part 犬, meaning "shape" or "condition." Visually, 狙 uses 且, while 犴 uses 干 and 状 uses 犬, so their meanings are completely different.

狙 appears in military and gaming terms like 狙击 (jūjī, "to snipe") and 狙击枪 (jūjīqiāng, "sniper rifle"). It is also used in news to describe ambushes or targeted attacks. Culturally, 狙 is associated with precision and stealth, similar to the image of a sniper in Western media.

Common words containing 狙 include: 狙击 (jū jī) — To snipe; to ambush; 狙击枪 (jū jī qiāng) — Sniper rifle; 狙击位 (jū jī wèi) — Sniping position.