How to Write 取 (qǔ) — Meaning “to take; to get; to fetch”

Imagine a hand (又) reaching out to take an ear (耳) — for example, someone "taking" your ear to get your attention. This visual of a hand grabbing an ear helps link the parts to the meaning 'to take'.

Write the left side 耳 first (stroke order: horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, horizontal), then add 又 (horizontal stroke with a hook, then a downward-right stroke). A common mistake is making the 耳 too wide or writing the 又 too small — keep both parts roughly the same height.

取 has an ear (耳) on the left and a hand (又) on the right. 叒 is made of three 又 stacked — it is rarely used and means 'again' or appears in names. 叔 has 上, 小, and 又 on the right; it means 'uncle' and looks very different from 取.

取 is very common in everyday Chinese, such as 取钱 (withdraw money), 取得 (achieve), and 取消 (cancel). Culturally, the character reflects an ancient practice of taking ears as battle trophies, but today it simply refers to getting or obtaining something.

Common words containing 取 include: 取钱 (qǔ qián) — to withdraw money; 取得 (qǔ dé) — to obtain; to achieve; to gain; 取消 (qǔ xiāo) — to cancel; to abolish.