殖 meaning and stroke order
To breed, to spawn; to grow, to prosper
How to write 殖, stroke by stroke
12 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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Meaning of 殖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to grow
- to reproduce
How 殖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Corpse.
歹 gives the meaning and 直 hints at the sound.
Radical: 歹 (corpse), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 殖
殖 is pictophonetic: 歹 (a corpse or bones) gives the meaning area and 直 (zhí) gives the sound. Picture new life growing straight up (直) out of what has died (歹), the way plants sprout from rotting matter, to remember 'breed, grow'.
殖 almost never appears alone. It shows up in compounds about reproduction, farming animals, and colonies, such as 繁殖 (fánzhí), 养殖 (yǎngzhí), and 殖民 (zhímín). Example: 这里的农民养殖鱼虾。(Zhèlǐ de nóngmín yǎngzhí yú xiā.) The farmers here raise fish and shrimp.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 殖 with 植 (zhí, to plant), which has the same sound and the same 直 part but uses 木 (wood). Use 植 for plants, as in 植物 (zhíwù), and 殖 for breeding and reproduction, as in 繁殖 (fánzhí).
Common words with 殖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
殖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 殖
How many strokes are in 殖?
殖 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 殖 mean?
殖 (zhí) means to breed, to spawn; to grow, to prosper. A common word with it is 繁殖 (fánzhí), meaning "to breed; to reproduce".
How do you pronounce 殖?
殖 is pronounced zhí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 殖?
The radical of 殖 is 歹, which carries the idea of "corpse". Dictionaries list 殖 under this radical.
Is 殖 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 殖 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 繁殖 and 生殖?
繁殖 (fánzhí) means to breed or multiply and is used for animals, plants, and even bacteria increasing in number. 生殖 (shēngzhí) is more biological and technical, focusing on the act of reproduction itself, as in 生殖器 (shēngzhíqì), reproductive organs.
Why does 殖民 mean colony if 殖 means to breed?
In 殖民 (zhímín), 殖 carries its sense of growing and multiplying, so the word suggests settling people in a new place so their population grows there. It is used for colonization and colonial rule, as in 殖民地 (zhímíndì), a colony.