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) 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
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
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
Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you
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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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2The sound half崔 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
3The giveawayperson
4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 催? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1
Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 催?
Decomposition of 催
IDS Structure⿰亻崔
催Full Character
=
亻ren2
left
崔Cui1
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component 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
Complete the Sentence
“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.
