日 meaning and stroke order
(bound form) sun; day; day of the month
How to write 日, stroke by stroke
4 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
Meaning of 日
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) sun
- day
- day of the month
- (bound form) Japan (abbr. for 日本[Ri4 ben3])
- (vulgar) to fuck; to have sex with
How 日 is built
Pictographic character. The sun.
How to remember 日
日 is a picture of the sun: a box 口 with one line 一 across the middle, like a bright disk with a spot at its center. The sun rises once each day, so 日 also means day.
日 rarely stands alone in speech and mostly appears inside words like 生日 (shēngrì, birthday), 日期 (rìqī, date) and 星期日 (xīngqīrì, Sunday). In written dates it marks the day of the month, while in speech people usually say 号 (hào). Example: 今天是我的生日。(Jīntiān shì wǒ de shēngrì.) Today is my birthday.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 日 with 曰 (yuē, to say), which is wider and shorter, and with 目 (mù, eye), which has two inner lines instead of one. Also keep the fourth tone, rì, and do not let it slide toward lì or rè.
Common words with 日
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday | HSK 1 |
| 日期 | rìqī | date | HSK 1 |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday | HSK 1 |
| 日子 | rìzi | day; a (calendar) date | HSK 2 |
| 节日 | jiérì | holiday; festival | HSK 2 |
| 日报 | rìbào | daily newspaper | HSK 2 |
| 日常 | rìcháng | day-to-day; daily; everyday | HSK 3 |
| 日记 | rìjì | diary | HSK 4 |
| 日历 | rìlì | calendar | HSK 4 |
| 今日 | jīnrì | today | HSK 5 |
| 工作日 | gōngzuòrì | workday; working day | HSK 5 |
| 明日 | míngrì | tomorrow | HSK 6 |
| 日语 | Rìyǔ | Japanese language | HSK 6 |
| 假日 | jiàrì | a holiday; a day off | HSK 6 |
日 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 日
Learning 日 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 日
How many strokes are in 日?
日 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 日 mean?
日 (rì) means (bound form) sun; day; day of the month. A common word with it is 生日 (shēngrì), meaning "birthday".
How do you pronounce 日?
日 is pronounced rì, in the fourth tone (falling).
Is 日 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 日 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why does 日 sometimes mean Japan?
日 is short for 日本 (Rìběn), Japan, in compounds such as 日语 (Rìyǔ, Japanese language) and 中日 (Zhōng Rì, China and Japan). The name 日本 literally suggests the origin of the sun.
Does 日 have a rude meaning I should know about?
Yes. In vulgar slang 日 can be used as a verb meaning to have sex with, similar to an English swear word. You will see it online, but it is crude, so avoid using it that way yourself.