捉
zhuō
In Chinese, 'catch' can be translated as 捉 (zhuō), 捕獲 / 捕获 or 捕.
Meaning: to capture or snare (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 捉 | zhuō |
| 捕獲 / 捕获 | bǔhuò |
| 捕 | bǔ |
These terms are used to describe the action of capturing or snaring something.
Which one should you use?
捉 is the most common, everyday way to say 'catch' when referring to catching animals or people. 捕獲 / 捕获 is a more formal or technical term used in contexts like scientific capture or professional hunting. The single character 捕 is frequently used in fixed compounds like 捕鱼 (to catch fish) rather than standing alone in casual speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, adding the resultative complement 到 to 捉 creates the sense of successfully completing the act of catching, forming 捉到.
How do you pronounce it?
zhuō
Did you know?
- If you want to say you 'caught' a cold, you do not use the verb for 'snare' or 'capture'. Instead, you use 感冒 (gǎnmào), which literally translates to 'feeling the wind/cold'.
- While 捉 is used for catching people or animals, you wouldn't use it for catching a bus or a train. For transportation, Chinese uses the verb 赶 (gǎn), which implies 'to chase' or 'to hurry to catch'.
- In Chinese, the word 捉 is often used in the phrase 捉弄, which does not mean to catch something but rather to tease or play a prank on someone.
Examples in context
- 有人说过，不论黑猫白猫，能捉到老鼠就是好猫。但是，现在一般人很难见到老鼠了。那么，怎样的猫才是好猫呢？Some people say, regardless of whether it is a black cat or a white cat, if it can catch mice it is a good cat. However, nowadays ordinary people rarely ever have mice. Therefore, how can a cat be a good cat?This sentence is useful for showing how to use 捉 in the context of a cat catching mice.Tatoeba #8715811 by crescat, translation #8932626 by iiujik
- 我会向你展示怎样捕鱼。I'll show you how to catch fish.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 捕 in the fixed compound for catching fish.Tatoeba #1438389 by asosan, translation #19355 by CK
- 他抓住了足球He caught the football
- 警察成功捕捉了逃犯The police successfully caught the fugitive
- 警察逮捕了罪犯The police arrested the criminal
- 我抓住了一只蝴蝶I caught a butterfly
- 我们一起去捉蚂蚱吧!Let's go catch grasshoppers together!
- 我抓住了一只鱼I caught a fish
- 我们要快点捉住那只小猫。Wǒmen yào kuài diǎn zhuō zhù nà zhī xiǎo māo.We need to catch that kitten quickly.
Example conversation
A young man and woman are playing in a garden with a pet.
- 佳怡 Jiayi伟，快看，那只小猫跑进草丛了！Wěi, kuài kàn, nà zhī xiǎo māo pǎo jìn cǎocóng le!Wei, look, that kitten ran into the bushes!
- 伟 Wei别担心，我会去捉它的。Bié dānxīn, wǒ huì qù zhuō tā de.Don't worry, I will go catch it.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你要小心，别把它吓跑了。Nǐ yào xiǎoxīn, bié bǎ tā xià pǎo le.You need to be careful, don't scare it away.
- 伟 Wei我知道，我一定会捉到的。Wǒ zhīdào, wǒ yīdìng huì zhuō dào de.I know, I will definitely catch it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “catch” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
