How to Write 沮 (jǔ) — Meaning “depressed; to stop”

Imagine a river (氵) that suddenly meets a wall (like the shape of 且) and has to stop — the water becomes depressed because it cannot flow. The right part 且 looks like a barrier with three horizontal lines, so picture the water hitting that barrier and feeling "ju" (沮) — dejected.

Start with the water radical on the left: three dots then a short diagonal stroke underneath, all written from top to bottom. The right part 且 has seven strokes: first the vertical stroke on the left, then three horizontals (top, middle, bottom), and finally the two inner horizontal strokes inside the box — do not confuse it with 日 or 目. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the inner two strokes, which changes the character entirely.

沮 (jǔ) has water (氵) plus 且 (a flat box with two inner lines) and means depressed or to stop. 㳄 (xián) has water plus 欠 (a person breathing), meaning saliva or drool — its right side is open at the top. 汊 (chà) has water plus 叉 (a fork shape) and means a branch of a river — its right side looks like an X. Pay attention to the right-side component to tell them apart.

沮 is mainly used in the common word 沮丧 (jǔ sàng, depressed; disheartened), which expresses a strong feeling of disappointment or loss of spirit. It also appears in literary or formal contexts like 气沮 (qì jǔ, discouraged) or 沮止 (jǔ zhǐ, to stop; to prevent). Although not an HSK character, 沮丧 is a useful word for describing emotions in writing or speech, especially in stories or news.

Common words containing 沮 include: 沮丧 (jǔ sàng) — depressed; disheartened; 气沮 (qì jǔ) — Dejected / Discouraged; 沮止 (jǔ zhǐ) — to stop; to prevent.