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催 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
Hanzi
Pinyin
English
Tags
催
cuī
to urge
HSK 5, zg, 13 strokes, radical 亻, rank #5240, Hard
催
cuī
to press
HSK 5, zg, 13 strokes, radical 亻, rank #5240, Hard
催
cuī
to prompt
HSK 5, zg, 13 strokes, radical 亻, rank #5240, Hard
催
cuī
to rush sb
HSK 5, zg, 13 strokes, radical 亻, rank #5240, Hard
催
cuī
to hasten sth
HSK 5, zg, 13 strokes, radical 亻, rank #5240, Hard
催
cuī
to expedite
HSK 5, zg, 13 strokes, radical 亻, rank #5240, Hard
cuī(cui1)cui T1
1to urge
2to press
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
催cuī(cui1)
催 (cuī) means to urge or prompt someone to do something, often implying a sense of pressure or need for haste. It is commonly used in contexts where one needs to accelerate actions or decisions, such as reminding someone about a deadline or encouraging quicker responses.
Strokes13Radical亻Frequency#5240DifficultyHard
Cultural note
In Chinese culture, it's common for teachers or parents to use 催 to encourage students or children to complete their homework or chores, reflecting the cultural emphasis on responsibility and diligence.
Memory tip
Imagine a 'sue' (sounds like 'cuī') who is always urging her friends to hurry up and finish their tasks before the deadline. The character 催 has the radical for 'to urge' and the component that resembles a person in a hurry, reinforcing the meaning of prompting or pressing someone.
Meanings of 催
cuī(cui1)
1to urge
2to press
Exercise 1 of 2
By ear
Play it, then pick what 催 means.
About 催
催Simplified
13Strokes
亻Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#5240Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L5AdvancedTOCFLL5CEFRC2
Podcast: 催
Podcast: 催
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AI study notes for 催
Quick Contrast
催 (cuī) vs 促 (cù) — use 催 when emphasizing urgency or pressure to act, while 促 focuses more on encouraging or facilitating action without the same level of pressure.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to use 催 too informally, as it can imply impatience. Common collocations include 催促 (cuīcù, to urge) and 催款 (cuīkuǎn, to demand payment). Ensure to use the correct tone; the first tone can sound demanding if used excessively.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 5 word, 催 connects to other verbs related to action and time management, such as 赶 (gǎn, to hurry) and 提醒 (tíxǐng, to remind). Focus on using it in sentences that convey urgency or reminders.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 催 with 促 (cù, to promote), leading to incorrect phrases like 催促进 (cuī cù jìn, urging promotion), which is not commonly used. The correct phrase should simply be 催促 (cuīcù) for urging.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 催
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How well do you know 催?
Example
Learning Lab
Knowing 催 is seven skills, not one.
Its meaning, its character, its pinyin, its tone — hearing it, saying it, writing it. The Learning Lab measures each one from your own practice, on every word you study, so you see what you actually know rather than how much you have done.
催 = 亻 + 崔. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 催
IDS Structure⿰亻崔
催Full character
=
亻ren2
left
崔Cui1
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 催?
How to say to urge in Chinese
“to urge” in Chinese is催cuī
催 (cuī) means to urge or prompt someone to do something, often implying a sense of pressure or need for haste. It is commonly used in contexts where one needs to accelerate actions or decisions, such as reminding someone about a deadline or encouraging quicker responses.
When to use 催
Be careful not to use 催 too informally, as it can imply impatience. Common collocations include 催促 (cuīcù, to urge) and 催款 (cuīkuǎn, to demand payment). Ensure to use the correct tone; the first tone can sound demanding if used excessively.
催 or something close to it
催 (cuī) vs 促 (cù) — use 催 when emphasizing urgency or pressure to act, while 促 focuses more on encouraging or facilitating action without the same level of pressure.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 催 with 促 (cù, to promote), leading to incorrect phrases like 催促进 (cuī cù jìn, urging promotion), which is not commonly used. The correct phrase should simply be 催促 (cuīcù) for urging.
Write 催
催
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Practice writing 催 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar patterns of 催
催 carries 6 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.
Exercise 1 of 4
Fill the gap
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
“我会找____眠师试试，”我突然坚决地说。
"I think I'll try a hypnotist," I said with sudden resolution.
