罪 meaning and stroke order
Guilt; crime; fault
How to write 罪, 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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Meaning of 罪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- guilt
- crime
- fault
- blame
- sin
- variant of 罪[zui4], crime
How 罪 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A net 罒 of wrongdoing 非.
Radical: 罒 (net), shared by 24 characters on this site.
How to remember 罪
The top part 罒 is a net, and the bottom part 非 (fēi) means wrong. Someone caught in a net for doing wrong has committed a 罪 (zuì), a crime or sin.
罪 rarely stands alone in everyday speech and usually appears in words like 犯罪 (fànzuì, to commit a crime), 罪犯 (zuìfàn, criminal) and 有罪 (yǒuzuì, guilty). It also shows up in the phrase 受罪 (shòuzuì), meaning to suffer or have a hard time. Example: 他被判有罪。(Tā bèi pàn yǒuzuì.) He was found guilty.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 罪犯 (zuìfàn, criminal) and 犯罪 (fànzuì, to commit a crime). 罪犯 is the person, while 犯罪 is the act. Also note the fourth tone zuì, not the third tone of 嘴 (zuǐ, mouth).
Common words with 罪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 犯罪 | fànzuì | to commit a crime; crime; offense | HSK 6 |
| 罪恶 | zuì'è | crime; evil | HSK 6 |
| 罪犯 | zuìfàn | criminal | HSK 7-9 |
| 得罪 | dézuì | to commit an offense; to violate the law | HSK 7-9 |
| 罪魁祸首 | zuìkuí-huòshǒu | (idiom) criminal ringleader; main offender; main culprit; main cause of a disaster | HSK 7-9 |
| 有罪 | yǒuzuì | guilty | |
| 罪行 | zuìxíng | crime; offense | |
| 罪名 | zuìmíng | charge; accusation; stigma; bad name; stained reputation | |
| 犯罪现场 | fànzuìxiànchǎng | scene of the crime | |
| 认罪 | rènzuì | to admit guilt; to plead guilty | |
| 无罪 | wúzuì | innocent; guileless | |
| 罪人 | zuìrén | sinner | |
| 罪过 | zuìguo | sin; offense | |
| 定罪 | dìngzuì | to convict (sb of a crime) |
罪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 罪
How many strokes are in 罪?
罪 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 罪 mean?
罪 (zuì) means guilt; crime; fault. A common word with it is 犯罪 (fànzuì), meaning "to commit a crime; crime; offense".
How do you pronounce 罪?
罪 is pronounced zuì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 罪?
The radical of 罪 is 罒, which carries the idea of "net". Dictionaries list 罪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 罪?
The traditional form of 罪 is 辠. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 罪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 罪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 罪 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 得罪 mean in daily conversation?
Besides its legal sense, 得罪 (dézuì) usually means to offend or upset someone. For example, 我不想得罪他 (Wǒ bù xiǎng dézuì tā) means I don't want to offend him.
Is 罪 used for religious sin as well as legal crime?
Yes. 罪 covers both legal crime and moral or religious sin. Context decides the meaning, and 罪恶 (zuì'è) leans toward evil or wickedness in a moral sense.