债 meaning and stroke order
Debt
How to write 债, stroke by stroke
10 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 债
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- debt
How 债 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person's 亻 duty 责; 责 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 债
A person 亻 standing next to their duty 责 (zé): a debt is the responsibility a person carries until it is paid. The 责 part also hints at the sound, zhài.
债 rarely stands alone in everyday speech and usually appears in words like 欠债 (qiànzhài, to owe a debt), 还债 (huánzhài, to repay a debt) and 债务 (zhàiwù, debt). It is common in finance news, for example 债券 (zhàiquàn, bond). Example: 他欠了很多债。(Tā qiàn le hěn duō zhài.) He owes a lot of money.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 债 (zhài) with 责 (zé, duty) or 绩 (jì, achievement) because they share the 责 part. Remember that only 债 has the person radical 亻 on the left, and its tone is fourth, not second like 责.
Common words with 债
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
债 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 债
How many strokes are in 债?
债 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 债 mean?
债 (zhài) means debt. A common word with it is 债务 (zhàiwù), meaning "debt; liability".
How do you pronounce 债?
债 is pronounced zhài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 债?
The radical of 债 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 债 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 债?
The traditional form of 债 is 債. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 债 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 债 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 债 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'to pay back a debt' in Chinese?
Say 还债 (huánzhài). Note that 还 is read huán here, not hái. You can also say 还钱 (huán qián, to pay money back) in casual speech.
What is the difference between 债主 and 欠债的人?
债主 (zhàizhǔ) is the creditor, the person who is owed money. The person who owes money is 欠债的人 (qiànzhài de rén) or more formally 债务人 (zhàiwùrén).