获 huò — to catch; to obtain; to capture; reap; harvest
这部电影获得了很多奖。Zhè bù diàn yǐng huò dé le hěn duō jiǎng.This movie won many awards.
Common words: 获得 (huò dé)、收获 (shōu huò)、获取 (huò qǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to capture"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to capture", including 获 (huò), 捕 (bǔ), 捉 (zhuō). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to capture" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 获 (huò), 捕 (bǔ), 捉 (zhuō) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span huò, bǔ, zhuō — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 获 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 获 huòto catch; to obtain; to capture; reap; harvestUseful words: 获得, 收获
- 捕 bǔto catch; to seize; to capture; to catchUseful words: 逮捕, 捕捉
- 捉 zhuōto clutch; to grab; to captureUseful words: 捕捉, 捉迷藏
Common words for these 3 "to capture" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 获 (huò) — so "to capture" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
获得huò déto obtain; to receive; to get收获shōu huòto harvest; to reap; to gain; crop获取huò qǔto gain; to get; to acquire逮捕dài bǔto arrest; to apprehend; to take into custody; Taiwan pr.捕捉bǔ zhuōto catch; to seize; to capture被捕bèi bǔto be arrested; under arrest捕捉bǔ zhuōto catch; to seize; to capture捉迷藏zhuō mí cángto play hide-and-seek捉对zhuō duìto pair off (for a confrontation)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to capture".
捕 bǔ — to catch; to seize; to capture; to catch
猫是捕老鼠的好手。Māo shì bǔ lǎo shǔ de hǎo shǒu.Cats are good at catching mice.
Common words: 逮捕 (dài bǔ)、捕捉 (bǔ zhuō)、被捕 (bèi bǔ)
捉 zhuō — to clutch; to grab; to capture
孩子们在草地上捉蝴蝶。Hái zi men zài cǎo dì shàng zhuō hú dié.The children are catching butterflies on the grass.
Common words: 捕捉 (bǔ zhuō)、捉迷藏 (zhuō mí cáng)、捉对 (zhuō duì)
All 3 characters
Open 获、捕、捉 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.