How to Write 鞫 (jū) — Meaning “To interrogate”

Imagine a detective wrapping a suspect in leather (革) and then squeezing them with questions, making the sound "jū-jū" like a squeaky leather glove. The right side 匊 looks like a person with hands up (like 扌) inside a box, symbolizing someone being interrogated. This visual of leather and pressure can help you recall that 鞫 means "to interrogate."

The left radical 革 has 9 strokes and should be written slightly wider, with the horizontal strokes evenly spaced. The right side 匊 also has 9 strokes; a common mistake is to add an extra stroke or confuse it with 菊 (which has a grass radical on top). Pay attention to the inner part of 匊 — it is like 米 inside a box, not 木.

鞫 (jū) means "to interrogate," while 鞔 (mán) means "to stretch leather" (as in making drums) and 鞘 (qiào) means "sheath" or "scabbard." Visually, 鞫 has the right side 匊, 鞔 has 免 (rabbit), and 鞘 has 肖 (resemble). In usage, 鞫 is very rare and mainly found in legal or historical texts, whereas 鞘 is more common for sword sheaths.

鞫 is not part of everyday vocabulary and is not in the HSK list; it appears mostly in formal legal documents or classical literature. For example, 鞫讯 (jū xùn) means "to interrogate a suspect" and 鞫审 (jū shěn) means "to interrogate and judge." You might encounter it in historical novels or court drama scripts, but it is rarely used in casual conversation.

Common words containing 鞫 include: 鞫讯 (jū xùn) — To interrogate; 鞫问 (jū wèn) — To interrogate; 鞫审 (jū shěn) — To interrogate and judge.