性 meaning and stroke order
Nature; character; property
How to write 性, stroke by stroke
8 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
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Meaning of 性
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- nature
- character
- property
- quality
- attribute
- sexuality
How 性 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 生 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 性
性 combines the heart radical 忄 with 生 (shēng, to be born), which also hints at the sound. Think of it as the heart you are born with: your nature or character.
性 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It usually appears in compounds like 性格 (xìnggé, personality) and 性别 (xìngbié, gender), or as a suffix like English "-ness" or "-ity", as in 重要性 (zhòngyàoxìng, importance). Example: 她的性格很开朗。(Tā de xìnggé hěn kāilǎng.) She has a cheerful personality.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 性 (xìng) with 姓 (xìng, surname), which sounds identical but uses the woman radical 女 instead of the heart radical 忄. Remember that a surname comes from family, while your nature comes from the heart.
Common words with 性
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 性格 | xìnggé | nature; disposition | HSK 3 |
| 个性 | gèxìng | individuality; personality | HSK 3 |
| 性别 | xìngbié | sex; gender | HSK 3 |
| 积极性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative | HSK 3 |
| 性质 | xìngzhì | nature; characteristic | HSK 4 |
| 女性 | nǚxìng | woman; the female sex | HSK 5 |
| 男性 | nánxìng | the male sex; a male | HSK 5 |
| 特性 | tèxìng | property; characteristic | HSK 5 |
| 性能 | xìngnéng | function; performance; behavior | HSK 5 |
| 一次性 | yīcìxìng | one-off (offer); one-time | HSK 6 |
| 性命 | xìngmìng | life | HSK 7-9 |
| 人性 | rénxìng | human nature; humanity | HSK 7-9 |
| 本性 | běnxìng | natural instincts; nature | HSK 7-9 |
| 理性 | lǐxìng | reason; rationality | HSK 7-9 |
性 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 性
How many strokes are in 性?
性 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 性 mean?
性 (xìng) means nature; character; property. A common word with it is 性格 (xìnggé), meaning "nature; disposition".
How do you pronounce 性?
性 is pronounced xìng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 性?
The radical of 性 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 性 under this radical.
Is 性 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 性 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How is 性 used as a suffix?
Adding 性 after a word turns it into an abstract noun describing a quality, much like "-ity" or "-ness". For example, 可能 (kěnéng, possible) becomes 可能性 (kěnéngxìng, possibility), and 积极 (jījí, active) becomes 积极性 (jījíxìng, initiative).
Is 性 awkward to say because it can mean sex?
In compounds like 性格, 女性, or 重要性 it sounds completely neutral and is used in formal and everyday Chinese. The sexual meaning mainly appears in specific words such as 性别 (gender) or in clearly sexual contexts, so normal usage is not embarrassing.