How to Write 捉 (zhuō) — Meaning “to catch”

Imagine someone's foot (足) is running away, so you quickly reach out your hand (扌) to catch it. This picture of "hand grabbing a foot" helps you recall both the shape and meaning of 捉 (to catch).

Pay attention to the right part 足: it starts with a vertical stroke, then a horizontal hook (横折), not two separate horizontals. Also, the left hand radical (扌) should be narrower than the right side, and the final foot strokes (撇 and 捺) should spread out evenly.

抨 (pēng) has 平 (flat) on the right and means to criticize or attack, not to catch. 㧜 is an extremely rare character not used in modern Chinese, while 捉 is very common. The key visual difference is the right part: 足 (foot) for 捉 versus 平 for 抨.

捉 is used for physically catching something, like 捉住 (zhuō zhù, to catch hold of) and in the game 捉迷藏 (zhuō mí cáng, hide-and-seek). It can also be used figuratively, such as 捕捉机会 (bǔ zhuō jī huì, to seize an opportunity), and appears in idioms like 捉襟见肘 (to have too many difficulties).

Common words containing 捉 include: 捉迷藏 (zhuō mí cáng) — hide-and-seek; 捉住 (zhuō zhù) — to catch hold of; 捕捉 (bǔ zhuō) — to capture.