習 meaning and stroke order
To study, to practice; habit
How to write 習, stroke by stroke
11 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
Meaning of 習
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to practice
- to study
- habit
- custom
How 習 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Birds flying 羽 in the daytime 白.
Radical: 羽 (feather), shared by 26 characters on this site.
How to remember 習
習 is wings 羽 on top of 白 (bái), which here suggests daytime. Picture a young bird flapping its wings again and again all day long, practicing until flying becomes a habit.
習 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 學習 (xuéxí, to study), 練習 (liànxí, to practice) and 習慣 (xíguàn, habit). In simplified Chinese it is written 习. Example: 我每天複習中文。(Wǒ měitiān fùxí Zhōngwén.) I review Chinese every day.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom part as 日 instead of 白. 白 has a short stroke on top, and 日 does not. Also keep the tone a rising second tone, xí, not xǐ like 洗 (to wash).
Common words with 習
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 學習 | xuéxí | to learn; to study | HSK 1 |
| 習慣 | xíguàn | habit; custom | HSK 2 |
| 練習 | liànxí | to practice; exercise | HSK 2 |
| 實習 | shíxí | to practice; field work | HSK 2 |
| 複習 | fùxí | to review; revision | HSK 2 |
| 預習 | yùxí | to prepare a lesson | HSK 3 |
| 補習 | bǔxí | to take extra lessons in a cram school or with a private tutor | HSK 6 |
| 演習 | yǎnxí | (military, firefighting etc) (verb and noun) drill; exercise; maneuver | HSK 7-9 |
| 習俗 | xísú | custom; tradition | HSK 7-9 |
| 溫習 | wēnxí | to review (a lesson etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 實習生 | shíxíshēng | intern (esp. a student in practical training) | |
| 見習 | jiànxí | to learn on the job; to be on probation | |
| 惡習 | èxí | bad habit; vice | |
| 補習班 | bǔxíbān | cram class; cram school |
Characters that contain 習
Learning 習 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 習
How many strokes are in 習?
習 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 習 mean?
習 (xí) means to study, to practice; habit. A common word with it is 学习 (xuéxí), meaning "to learn; to study".
How do you pronounce 習?
習 is pronounced xí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 習?
The radical of 習 is 羽, which carries the idea of "feather". Dictionaries list 習 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 習?
習 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 习, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can I use 習 by itself to mean 'to study'?
Not in normal modern speech. Use a full word such as 學習 (xuéxí) or 練習 (liànxí). 習 alone appears mainly in classical sayings or set phrases.
What is the difference between 學習 and 練習?
學習 (xuéxí) means to learn or study in general, like learning a subject. 練習 (liànxí) means to practice a skill through repetition, and as a noun it also means an exercise, like homework exercises.