義 meaning and stroke order
Right conduct, propriety; justice
How to write 義, 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 義
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- justice
- righteousness
- meaning
- foster (father etc)
- adopted
- artificial (tooth, limb etc)
How 義 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sheep.
羊 gives the meaning and 我 hints at the sound.
Radical: 羊 (sheep), shared by 23 characters on this site.
How to remember 義
義 stacks a sheep 羊 on top of 我 (wǒ, I or me). Picture yourself standing under the sheep, which hints at the meaning, while 我 gives the sound: doing what is right is something I carry myself.
義 is the traditional form, and in mainland China it is written 义. It appears in words about justice and duty, like 正義 (zhèngyì) justice and 義務 (yìwù) duty, and in words about meaning, like 意義 (yìyì) and 定義 (dìngyì). Example: 這個詞有什麼意義？ (Zhège cí yǒu shénme yìyì?) What does this word mean?
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 義 with 議 (yì, to discuss), which adds the speech radical 言 on the left. Also, 意義 is two different yì characters with the same fourth tone, so do not write 義義 or 意意.
Common words with 義
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 意義 | yìyì | sense; meaning | HSK 3 |
| 義務 | yìwù | duty; obligation (CL:項|项[xiang4]); volunteer (work etc) | HSK 4 |
| 含義 | hányì | meaning (implicit in a phrase); implied meaning | HSK 4 |
| 正義 | zhèngyì | justice; righteousness; just; righteous | HSK 5 |
| 名義 | míngyì | name; titular | HSK 6 |
| 定義 | dìngyì | definition; to define | HSK 7-9 |
| 社會主義 | shèhuì zhǔyì | socialism | HSK 7-9 |
| 資本主義 | zīběn zhǔyì | capitalism | HSK 7-9 |
| 主義 | zhǔyì | -ism; ideology | HSK 7-9 |
| 義工 | yìgōng | volunteer worker; volunteer work | HSK 7-9 |
| 帝國主義 | dìguó zhǔyì | imperialism | HSK 7-9 |
| 廣義 | guǎngyì | broad sense; general sense | HSK 7-9 |
| 涵義 | hányì | content; meaning | HSK 7-9 |
| 俠義 | xiáyì | chivalrous; chivalry | HSK 7-9 |
Characters that contain 義
Learning 義 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 義
How many strokes are in 義?
義 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 義 mean?
義 (yì) means right conduct, propriety; justice. A common word with it is 意义 (yìyì), meaning "sense; meaning".
How do you pronounce 義?
義 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 義?
The radical of 義 is 羊, which carries the idea of "sheep". Dictionaries list 義 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 義?
義 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 义, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How can 義 mean adopted or artificial?
An older sense of 義 is a relationship based on duty rather than blood, so 義父 (yìfù) means foster father. The same idea extends to replacements, as in 義齒 (yìchǐ), an artificial tooth.
Why does 義 appear in words like socialism and capitalism?
In 主義 (zhǔyì), meaning doctrine or ism, 義 carries its sense of principle or meaning. So 社會主義 (shèhuì zhǔyì) is socialism and 資本主義 (zīběn zhǔyì) is capitalism.