四 meaning and stroke order
Four; 4
How to write 四, stroke by stroke
5 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
- 5
Meaning of 四
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- four
- 4
How 四 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A child 儿 in a room with four walls 囗.
Radical: 囗 (enclosure), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 四
Picture a child 儿 standing inside a room with four walls 囗. Count the walls around the child and you get 四 (sì), four.
四 is the everyday word for the number four and appears in counting, dates, and many words about all directions, since a square has four sides. 我有四个朋友。(Wǒ yǒu sì gè péngyou.) I have four friends. It also shows up in words like 四周 (sìzhōu) all around and 四季 (sìjì) the four seasons.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 四 (sì, fourth tone) with 十 (shí, second tone, ten), and the two sound similar to beginners, so stress the falling tone of sì. Also write the outer box 囗 so it fully closes at the bottom with the last stroke, after the inner 儿 strokes are done.
Common words with 四
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 四周 | sìzhōu | all around | HSK 5 |
| 四处 | sìchù | all over the place; everywhere and all directions | HSK 6 |
| 四季 | sìjì | four seasons, namely: spring 春[chun1], summer 夏[xia4], autumn 秋[qiu1] and winter 冬[dong1] | HSK 7-9 |
| 四面八方 | sìmiàn-bāfāng | (idiom) all directions; all around | HSK 7-9 |
| 四合院 | sìhéyuàn | courtyard house with a fully enclosed courtyard (type of Chinese residence) | HSK 7-9 |
| 朝三暮四 | zhāosān-mùsì | lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is alrea | HSK 7-9 |
| 四十 | sìshí | forty; 40 | |
| 第四季 | dìsìjì | fourth quarter | |
| 四次 | sìcì | fourth; four times | |
| 十四 | shísì | fourteen; 14 | |
| 四分之一 | sìfēnzhīyī | one-quarter | |
| 四肢 | sìzhī | the four limbs of the body | |
| 四条 | sìtiáo | four of a kind; quads (poker) | |
| 四大 | sìdà | the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind (Buddhism); the four freedoms: speaking ou |
四 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 四
Learning 四 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 四
How many strokes are in 四?
四 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 四 mean?
四 (sì) means four; 4. A common word with it is 四周 (sìzhōu), meaning "all around".
How do you pronounce 四?
四 is pronounced sì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 四?
The radical of 四 is 囗, which carries the idea of "enclosure". Dictionaries list 四 under this radical.
Is 四 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 四 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why is the number four considered unlucky in China?
四 (sì) sounds close to 死 (sǐ), which means death. Because of this, some buildings skip the fourth floor and people may avoid phone numbers with many 4s.
What does the idiom 朝三暮四 mean?
朝三暮四 (zhāosān-mùsì) literally means three in the morning and four in the evening. Today it describes someone who keeps changing their mind or is fickle.