井 meaning and stroke order
A well; neat; orderly
How to write 井, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 井
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- a well
- neat
- orderly
How 井 is built
Pictographic character. A mine or well.
Radical: 二 (two), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 井
井 is a picture of a well seen from above: two horizontal and two vertical lines form the wooden frame around the opening. Picture looking down into the square hole in the middle.
井 appears in words for wells and shafts, such as 水井 (shuǐjǐng) water well, 油井 (yóujǐng) oil well, and 矿井 (kuàngjǐng) mine shaft. It also carries the sense of neat and orderly, as in the idiom 井井有条. Example: 他的房间井井有条。(Tā de fángjiān jǐngjǐngyǒutiáo.) His room is neat and tidy.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 井 (jǐng) with 并 (bìng, and, side by side), which has two short strokes on top instead of vertical lines crossing the horizontals. Also remember 井 is third tone, not fourth like 静 (jìng).
Common words with 井
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 矿井 | kuàngjǐng | a mine; a mine shaft | |
| 钻井 | zuānjǐng | to drill (e.g. for oil); a borehole | |
| 油井 | yóujǐng | oil well | |
| 水井 | shuǐjǐng | (water) well | |
| 井井有条 | jǐngjǐngyǒutiáo | everything clear and orderly (idiom); neat and tidy | |
| 落井下石 | luòjǐngxiàshí | to throw stones at sb who has fallen down a well (idiom); to hit a person when he's down |
井 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 井
Learning 井 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 井
How many strokes are in 井?
井 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 井 mean?
井 (jǐng) means a well; neat; orderly. A common word with it is 矿井 (kuàngjǐng), meaning "a mine; a mine shaft".
How do you pronounce 井?
井 is pronounced jǐng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 井?
The radical of 井 is 二, which carries the idea of "two". Dictionaries list 井 under this radical.
Is 井 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 井 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 落井下石 mean and when is it used?
Literally it means to drop stones on someone who has fallen into a well. It describes kicking someone when they are already in trouble, and it is always used critically.
Why is the # symbol sometimes called 井号 in Chinese?
The hash symbol looks like the character 井, so it is commonly called 井号 (jǐnghào). You will hear this when people talk about phone keypads or hashtags.