姊 meaning and stroke order
Elder sister
How to write 姊, stroke by stroke
7 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 姊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- older sister
- Taiwan pr. [jie3]
- old variant of 姊[zi3]
How 姊 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姊
姊 (zǐ) has 女 (woman) on the left, which tells you it names a female family member. Picture the woman standing first in line among the siblings: the elder sister.
In mainland Mandarin, 姊 mostly appears in the set word 姊妹 (zǐmèi), meaning sisters or a sister relationship between schools or cities. In everyday speech, mainland speakers usually say 姐姐 (jiějie) for older sister, while 姊姊 is common in Taiwanese writing. Example: 她们是姊妹。(Tāmen shì zǐmèi.) They are sisters.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 姊 with 姐 (jiě), which has the same meaning but a different right side and is far more common in mainland speech. Also remember the mainland reading is zǐ, while in Taiwan 姊 is read jiě.
Common words with 姊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
姊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 姊
How many strokes are in 姊?
姊 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 姊 mean?
姊 (zǐ) means elder sister. A common word with it is 姊妹 (zǐmèi), meaning "(older and younger) sisters; sister (school, city etc)".
How do you pronounce 姊?
姊 is pronounced zǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 姊?
The radical of 姊 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姊 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 姊?
The traditional form of 姊 is 姉. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 姊 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 姊 and 姐?
Both mean older sister. 姐 (jiě) is the everyday choice in mainland China, as in 姐姐 (jiějie). 姊 feels more formal or literary on the mainland but is widely used in Taiwan.
How is 姊妹 used beyond family?
姊妹 can describe paired institutions, such as 姊妹城市 (zǐmèi chéngshì), sister cities, or sister schools. It can also describe close female friends who treat each other like sisters.