侦 meaning and stroke order
To spy, to reconnoiter; detective
How to write 侦, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 侦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to scout
- to spy
- to detect
- old variant of 偵|侦[zhen1]
How 侦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 贞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 侦
A person 亻 stands next to 贞 (zhēn), which gives the sound. Picture a person quietly watching and gathering facts, like a detective on a case.
侦 rarely appears alone. It shows up in words about investigating and scouting, such as 侦探 (zhēntàn) and 侦察 (zhēnchá). Example: 他喜欢看侦探小说。(Tā xǐhuan kàn zhēntàn xiǎoshuō.) He likes reading detective novels.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 侦察 and 侦查, which are both read zhēnchá. 侦察 is mostly military scouting, while 侦查 is used for police or legal investigation of a crime.
Common words with 侦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
侦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 侦
How many strokes are in 侦?
侦 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 侦 mean?
侦 (zhēn) means to spy, to reconnoiter; detective. A common word with it is 侦察 (zhēnchá), meaning "to investigate a crime; to scout".
How do you pronounce 侦?
侦 is pronounced zhēn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 侦?
The radical of 侦 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 侦 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 侦?
The traditional form of 侦 is 偵 and 遉. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 侦 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 侦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 侦 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say detective in Chinese?
The common word is 侦探 (zhēntàn). A private detective is 私家侦探 (sījiā zhēntàn).
Do 侦 and 贞 sound the same?
Yes, both are read zhēn in the first tone. 贞 alone means loyal or chaste, so only 侦 with the person radical carries the spying meaning.