慈 meaning and stroke order
Gentle, humane, kind, merciful
How to write 慈, stroke by stroke
13 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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- 13
Meaning of 慈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- compassionate
- gentle
- merciful
- kind
- humane
How 慈 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 兹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 慈
慈 is built from 兹 (zī) on top, which gives the sound, and 心 (xīn, heart) underneath, which gives the meaning. Picture a warm heart supporting everything above it, the kind of heart that is gentle and merciful.
慈 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in words like 慈善 (císhàn, charity), 慈祥 (cíxiáng, kindly) and 慈悲 (cíbēi, mercy). Example: 奶奶的笑容很慈祥。(Nǎinai de xiàoróng hěn cíxiáng.) Grandma's smile is very kind.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 慈 (cí) with 磁 (cí, magnetic), since both share 兹 and the same sound. Remember that 慈 has 心 (heart) for kindness, while 磁 has 石 (stone) for magnets. Also keep the second tone. It is not the fourth tone of 次 (cì).
Common words with 慈
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
慈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 慈
How many strokes are in 慈?
慈 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 慈 mean?
慈 (cí) means gentle, humane, kind, merciful. A common word with it is 仁慈 (réncí), meaning "benevolent; charitable".
How do you pronounce 慈?
慈 is pronounced cí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 慈?
The radical of 慈 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 慈 under this radical.
Is 慈 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 慈 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 慈祥 and 慈爱?
慈祥 (cíxiáng) describes a kind, gentle look or manner, usually of an older person. 慈爱 (cí'ài) is the loving care itself, especially a parent's or elder's love for children.
Why is 慈 linked to mothers in Chinese?
慈 is traditionally associated with the gentle love of parents, especially mothers. That is why 慈母 (címǔ) means a loving mother, and 慈 often appears in writing about family and elders.