着 zhe marks ongoing action

HSK 2 HSK 3.0 · Level 1 Practise with 着 →

Traditional: 著

Stroke order

着 is written in 11 strokes.

着 — the Chinese character for marks ongoing action (zhe), stroke diagram — Stroke diagram for 着 — marks ongoing action

着

How 着 is used

着 marks ongoing action: after the verb — the action is in progress or sustained (他看着书).

Example sentences

它玩着球。Tā wán zhe qiú.It is playing with a ball.
我看着书，不说话。Wǒ kàn zhe shū, bù shuōhuà.I am reading a book without speaking.
他看着书。Tā kàn zhe shū.He is reading the book (in a continuous state).
她笑着说你好。Tā xiào zhe shuō nǐ hǎo.She smiles while saying hello to you.

Related words

着 is pronounced zhe and means “marks ongoing action”.

Say it out loud with Xiaolu →