刑 meaning and stroke order
Punishment, penalty; law
How to write 刑, stroke by stroke
6 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
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- 6
Meaning of 刑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- punishment
- penalty
- sentence
- torture
- corporal punishment
How 刑 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A man 刂 in jail 开.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 刑
The etymology hint reads 刑 as a man 刂 in jail 开. The left part 开 looks like crossed bars of a cell, and the knife radical 刂 on the right adds the sense of harsh punishment.
刑 (xíng) is mostly used in compound words about crime and punishment, such as 刑法 (xíngfǎ) criminal law, 刑事 (xíngshì) criminal, and 死刑 (sǐxíng) death penalty. It rarely stands alone in everyday speech. Example: 他在监狱里服刑五年。(Tā zài jiānyù lǐ fúxíng wǔ nián.) He is serving a five-year sentence in prison.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 刑 (xíng) with 型 (xíng, model or type) and 形 (xíng, shape), which sound the same. 型 has 土 at the bottom and 形 has three slanting strokes 彡 on the right, while 刑 has the knife 刂.
Common words with 刑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 刑法 | xíngfǎ | criminal law | HSK 7-9 |
| 死刑 | sǐxíng | death penalty; capital punishment | |
| 刑事 | xíngshì | criminal; penal | |
| 刑警 | xíngjǐng | criminal police (abbr. for 刑事警察[xing2 shi4 jing3 cha2]) | |
| 服刑 | fúxíng | to serve a prison sentence | |
| 行刑 | xíngxíng | to carry out a (death) sentence; execution | |
| 刑期 | xíngqī | prison term | |
| 绞刑 | jiǎoxíng | to execute by hanging | |
| 判刑 | pànxíng | to sentence (to prison etc) | |
| 缓刑 | huǎnxíng | suspended sentence; probation | |
| 酷刑 | kùxíng | cruelty; torture | |
| 刑罚 | xíngfá | sentence; penalty | |
| 减刑 | jiǎnxíng | to reduce penalty; shortened or commuted (judicial) sentence | |
| 私刑 | sīxíng | extralegal punishment inflicted without legal authority or due process |
刑 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 刑
Learning 刑 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 刑
How many strokes are in 刑?
刑 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 刑 mean?
刑 (xíng) means punishment, penalty; law. A common word with it is 刑法 (xíngfǎ), meaning "criminal law".
How do you pronounce 刑?
刑 is pronounced xíng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 刑?
The radical of 刑 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 刑 under this radical.
Is 刑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 刑 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 刑事 and 民事?
刑事 (xíngshì) refers to criminal matters, like theft or murder cases. 民事 (mínshì) refers to civil matters, like contract or family disputes between private parties.
Does 行刑 mean the same as 刑?
No. 行刑 (xíngxíng) means to carry out a sentence, often an execution. Note that both syllables are pronounced xíng, but the first is 行 (to carry out) and the second is 刑 (punishment).