獅 meaning and stroke order
Lion
How to write 獅, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
Meaning of 獅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) lion
How 獅 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Animal.
犭 gives the meaning and 師 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 獅
The animal radical 犭 on the left tells you this is a beast, and 師 (shī, master or teacher) on the right gives the sound. Picture the lion as the master of all animals.
獅 is a bound form, so it rarely stands alone. You will almost always see it inside words like 獅子 (shīzi) lion, 海獅 (hǎishī) sea lion, or 舞獅 (wǔshī) lion dance. Example: 動物園裡有兩隻獅子。(Dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu liǎng zhī shīzi.) There are two lions at the zoo.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 師 alone when they mean lion, or forget the 犭 radical. 師 means teacher or master, and only 獅 with 犭 means lion. In 獅子 the 子 is neutral tone (shīzi), not third tone zǐ.
Common words with 獅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 獅
How many strokes are in 獅?
獅 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 獅 mean?
獅 (shī) means lion. A common word with it is 狮子 (shīzi), meaning "lion".
How do you pronounce 獅?
獅 is pronounced shī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 獅?
The radical of 獅 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 獅 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 獅?
獅 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 狮, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can I say 獅 by itself to mean lion?
Not usually. In everyday speech you say 獅子 (shīzi). 獅 alone appears mainly in compounds like 雄獅 (xióngshī) male lion.
What is 舞獅 and when do people see it?
舞獅 (wǔshī) is the traditional lion dance, performed by dancers inside a lion costume. It is common at Lunar New Year, festivals, and business openings.