系 meaning and stroke order
System; department; faculty
How to write 系, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 系
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to connect
- to relate to
- to tie up
- to bind
- to be (literary)
- system
- to tie
- to fasten
- to button up
How 系 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
糸 gives the meaning.
Radical: 糸 (silk), shared by 27 characters on this site.
How to remember 系
The bottom part 糸 means thread, and the slanted stroke 丿 on top looks like a hand lifting that thread. Threads that link things together give you the ideas of connection and system.
系 (xì) appears mostly in words about links and structures, like 关系 (guānxì, relationship), 联系 (liánxì, contact) and 系统 (xìtǒng, system). It also means a university department. Example: 没关系。(Méi guānxi.) It doesn't matter.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 系 with 糸 or 素 (sù) because they share the thread shape. Remember that 系 has the extra slanted stroke 丿 on top. In 没关系 the 系 is usually said in the neutral tone, not a full fourth tone.
Common words with 系
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | it doesn't matter | HSK 1 |
| 关系 | guānxì | relation; relationship; connection; to concern; to involve; to affect | HSK 3 |
| 联系 | liánxì | connection; contact | HSK 3 |
| 系统 | xìtǒng | system | HSK 4 |
| 系列 | xìliè | series; set | HSK 4 |
| 一系列 | yīxìliè | a series of; a string of | HSK 7-9 |
| 体系 | tǐxì | system; setup | HSK 7-9 |
| 星系 | xīngxì | see 恆星系|恒星系[heng2 xing1 xi4] | |
| 性关系 | xìngguānxi | sexual relations; sexual contact | |
| 太阳系 | tàiyángxì | solar system | |
| 联系人 | liánxìrén | contact person | |
| 维系 | wéixì | to maintain; to keep up | |
| 血缘关系 | xuèyuánguānxì | blood relationship; consanguinity | |
| 神经系统 | shénjīngxìtǒng | (anatomy) nervous system |
系 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 系
Learning 系 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 系
How many strokes are in 系?
系 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 系 mean?
系 (xì) means system; department; faculty. A common word with it is 没关系 (méi guānxi), meaning "it doesn't matter".
How do you pronounce 系?
系 is pronounced xì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 系?
The radical of 系 is 糸, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 系 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 系?
The traditional form of 系 is 係 and 繫. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 系 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 系 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 系 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.
When is 系 pronounced jì instead of xì?
It is read jì when it means to tie or fasten something physical, as in 系鞋带 (jì xiédài, to tie shoelaces) or 系安全带 (jì ānquándài, to fasten a seatbelt). For connection, system and department, it is xì.
How do I say which department I study in?
Use 系 after the subject name, for example 中文系 (Zhōngwén xì, Chinese department). You can say 我是历史系的学生 (Wǒ shì lìshǐ xì de xuésheng), I am a history department student.