窒 (zhì): to suffocate

窒 (zhì) is a Chinese character meaning “to suffocate.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 穴 (semantic) and 至 (phonetic). It ranks #2849 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 窒 cave. Its radical form 穴 (cave) appears in many related characters such as 穿 (chuān, to wear, 穿透), 空 (kōng, empty, sky), 突 (tū, sudden).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 穴 cave11 strokesFrequency #2849穴 semantic 至 phonetic

Definitions

to suffocate

Etymology & Origin

窒

pictophoneticcave

Decomposition: ⿱穴至 (layout: top-bottom)

Components:穴semantic 至phonetic

Stroke Order

Practice writing 窒 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
窒息	zhì xī	to choke
窒息性毒剂	zhì xī xìng dú jì	choking agent
窒碍	zhì ài	(literary) to be obstructed

Total compounds

100

As first character

As last character

As middle character

窒 appears in 3 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Strongest Collocations

Characters that most frequently co-occur with 窒 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.

息xī

0.63711,202 co-occurrences

捂wǔ

0.48630 co-occurrences

死sǐ

0.4593,156 co-occurrences

亡wáng

0.4341,530 co-occurrences

掐qiā

0.41730 co-occurrences

溺nì

0.407102 co-occurrences

闷mēn

0.40130 co-occurrences

脖bó

0.39148 co-occurrences

致zhì

0.3851,128 co-occurrences

碍ài

0.373114 co-occurrences

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

房间里空气不流通，让人感到窒息。

Fángjiān lǐ kōngqì bù liútōng, ràng rén gǎndào zhìxī.

The air in the room is not circulating, making people feel suffocated.

東方日報Mar 2026

捷克“大声公”吓窒爱尔兰互射12码惨输

jié kè dà shēng gōng hè zhì ài ěr lán hù shè 1 2 mǎ cǎn shū

Czech Republic's "Loudspeaker" Silenced; Ireland Suffers Heartbreaking Loss in Penalty Shootout

三立新聞網Mar 2026

狂打呼“3大征兆”危险医示警:慢性窒息

kuáng dǎ hū 3 dà zhēng zhào wēi xiǎn yī shì jǐng : màn xìng zhì xī

"3 Major Signs" of Loud Snoring Are Dangerous: Doctors Warn of Chronic Suffocation

DigitimesMar 2026

...动物农庄】中东烽火熊惊“氦” 科技业恐陷窒息浩劫

. . . dòng wù nóng zhuāng zhōng dōng 烽 huǒ xióng jīng 氦 kē jì yè kǒng xiàn zhì xī hào jié

...Animal Farm】Middle East Turmoil Leaves Bear in a "Helium" Shock; Tech Industry Faces Potential Suffocation Crisis

Hk01.comFeb 2026

60岁罗霖内地开工突发入急症半夜窒息:以为系小感冒

6 0 suì luó 霖 nèi dì kāi gōng tū fā rù jí zhèng bàn yè zhì xī : yǐ wéi xì xiǎo gǎn mào

60-year-old Luo Lin suddenly entered the emergency room in the middle of the night when he started work in the mainland and choked in the middle of the night: thinking it was a small cold

NewsFeb 2026

侯佩岑颜值升级捱酸 “五官变形”吓窒网友

侯 pèi 岑 yán zhí shēng jí 捱 suān wǔ guān biàn xíng hè zhì wǎng yǒu

Patty Hou's appearance upgraded and suffered from acid "facial features deformation" to scare netizens

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 窒 (zhì) mean in Chinese?

窒 (zhì) primarily means "to suffocate." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #2849 in character frequency.

What's the difference between 窒 and 室?

窒 (zhì) and 室 (shì) are often confused. confusable. The key distinguishing feature: 穴 vs 宀 (same 至 component).

How many strokes does 窒 have?

窒 is written with 11 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 窒?

The radical associated with 窒 is 穴 (cave). This radical appears in many characters related to cave.

What are the components of 窒?

窒 is composed of: 穴 (semantic), 至 (phonetic). Its IDS decomposition is ⿱穴至 with a top-bottom layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 窒?

Common words with 窒 include: 窒息 (zhì xī, "to choke"); 窒息性毒剂 (zhì xī xìng dú jì, "choking agent"); 窒碍 (zhì ài, "(literary) to be obstructed"). There are over 3 compound words containing this character.

What characters sound the same as 窒 (zhì)?

Several characters share the pronunciation zhì: 致 ((bound form) fine), 支 (to support), 汁 (juice), 知 (to know), and 4 more. Context and tones help distinguish between them in speech and writing.

Is 窒 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 窒 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 窒 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play