宅 meaning and stroke order
Residence, dwelling, home; grave
How to write 宅, 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
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 宅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- residence
- (coll.) to stay in at home
- to hang around at home
How 宅 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof.
宀 gives the meaning and 乇 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宅
宅 is a pictophonetic character. The roof 宀 on top tells you the meaning is about a building or home, and 乇 underneath hints at the sound. Picture someone tucked under a roof who never wants to leave: that is 宅 (zhái), a home.
In formal or written Chinese, 宅 appears in words for housing, like 住宅 (zhùzhái) residence and 豪宅 (háozhái) mansion. In casual speech it is also a verb meaning to stay in at home. Example: 周末我就宅在家里。(Zhōumò wǒ jiù zhái zài jiā lǐ.) I just stay home on weekends.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 宅 with 字 (zì, character) or 安 (ān, peaceful), since all three sit under the same roof 宀. Check the bottom part: 宅 has 乇, which looks like 七 with a curved stroke on top, not 子 or 女.
Common words with 宅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
宅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 宅
Learning 宅 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 宅
How many strokes are in 宅?
宅 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 宅 mean?
宅 (zhái) means residence, dwelling, home; grave. A common word with it is 住宅 (zhùzhái), meaning "residence; dwelling; abode".
How do you pronounce 宅?
宅 is pronounced zhái, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 宅?
The radical of 宅 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宅 under this radical.
Is 宅 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宅 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 宅男 or 宅女 mean?
宅男 (zháinán) and 宅女 (zháinǚ) describe a man or woman who prefers staying at home, often online or gaming. It is casual slang, sometimes teasing, similar to calling someone a homebody.
Is 宅 the same as 家 for saying home?
Not quite. 家 (jiā) is the everyday word for home and family, while 宅 usually refers to the building or residence and sounds more formal in compounds like 住宅. You would say 回家 (huí jiā) to go home, not 回宅.