姿 meaning and stroke order
Grace, good looks; bearing, poise, posture
How to write 姿, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 姿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- beauty
- disposition
- looks
- appearance
How 姿 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 次 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姿
姿 is built from 次 (cì) on top, which gives the sound, and 女 (nǚ, woman) below, which gives the meaning. Picture a woman standing tall under the 次 to show her graceful bearing and posture.
姿 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It shows up in words about posture, bearing, and style, such as 姿势 (zīshì) and 姿态 (zītài). Example: 他的坐姿不太好。(Tā de zuòzī bú tài hǎo.) His sitting posture is not very good.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 姿 with 资 (zī, resources, as in 工资) and 咨 (zī, consult, as in 咨询), because all three share 次 and the same sound. Remember that 姿 has 女 at the bottom, 资 has 贝 (money), and 咨 has 口 (mouth).
Common words with 姿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
姿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 姿
How many strokes are in 姿?
姿 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 姿 mean?
姿 (zī) means grace, good looks; bearing, poise, posture. A common word with it is 姿势 (zīshì), meaning "posture; position".
How do you pronounce 姿?
姿 is pronounced zī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 姿?
The radical of 姿 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姿 under this radical.
Is 姿 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 姿 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 姿势 and 姿态?
姿势 (zīshì) usually means a physical position or pose of the body, like a sleeping or exercise position. 姿态 (zītài) can mean bodily posture too, but it often means an attitude or stance, as in 高姿态 (gāo zītài), a magnanimous attitude.
Why is the pronunciation zī when the top part 次 is read cì?
次 is the phonetic component, so it only hints at the sound rather than matching it exactly. Many characters built on 次, like 资 and 咨, are also read zī, which can help you guess the reading.