How to Write 剧 (jù) — Meaning “drama; play; intense”

Imagine a drama (剧) so intense that someone cuts (刂) through a house (居) with a knife. The picture of a knife slicing a home helps link the left and right parts to the idea of dramatic action.

Write the left part 居 first: start with 尸 (top-left), then 古 (below), then add the right part 刂 as two strokes: vertical hook then a short horizontal slice. A common mistake is making the left side too wide — keep it balanced so the knife radical on the right is clear and vertical.

剧 has 居 (house) on the left, while 刮 has 舌 (tongue) and 到 has 至 (arrive). 剧 means drama or intense, 刮 means scrape or blow, and 到 means arrive. Visually, the left parts are completely different, so focus on the left component to tell them apart.

剧 appears in everyday words like 电视剧 (TV drama) and 剧本 (script). In China, TV dramas are extremely popular, and the word 剧 is used for both stage plays and television series. It also means "intense" in formal contexts like 剧烈 (severe pain or movement).

Common words containing 剧 include: 电视剧 (diàn shì jù) — TV drama; 剧本 (jù běn) — script; screenplay; 剧烈 (jù liè) — intense; violent; severe.