者 meaning and stroke order
(after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ...; (after a noun) person involved in ...; -er
How to write 者, stroke by stroke
8 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
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- 3
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- 8
Meaning of 者
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ...
- (after a noun) person involved in ...
- -er
- -ist
- (used after a number or 後|后[hou4] or 前[qian2] to refer to sth mentioned previously)
- (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term)
How 者 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 耂 (old), shared by 3 characters on this site.
How to remember 者
者 is built from 耂, the top of 老 (lǎo, old), over 日 (rì, sun). Picture an old, experienced person under the sun, someone who does something, and you have the idea of "one who" or "-er".
者 works like the English suffix -er or -ist. It attaches to a verb or noun to name the person who does it, as in 读者 (dúzhě, reader) and 学者 (xuézhě, scholar). Example: 她是一名记者。(Tā shì yī míng jìzhě.) She is a journalist.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 者 with 着 (zhe/zháo), which looks similar at the top but has 目 at the bottom and marks an ongoing action. Also remember that 者 is third tone zhě, while 着 as a particle is neutral tone.
Common words with 者
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 或者 | huòzhě | or; possibly; maybe; perhaps | HSK 2 |
| 记者 | jìzhě | reporter; journalist | HSK 3 |
| 作者 | zuòzhě | author; writer | HSK 3 |
| 志愿者 | zhìyuànzhě | volunteer | HSK 3 |
| 读者 | dúzhě | reader | HSK 3 |
| 学者 | xuézhě | scholar | HSK 5 |
| 消费者 | xiāofèizhě | consumer | HSK 5 |
| 患者 | huànzhě | patient; sufferer | HSK 6 |
| 使者 | shǐzhě | emissary; envoy | HSK 7-9 |
| 后者 | hòuzhě | the latter | HSK 7-9 |
| 前者 | qiánzhě | the former (i.e. the one mentioned first) | HSK 7-9 |
| 受害者 | shòuhàizhě | casualty; victim | |
| 死者 | sǐzhě | the dead; the deceased | |
| 幸存者 | xìngcúnzhě | survivor |
者 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 者
Learning 者 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 者
How many strokes are in 者?
者 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 者 mean?
者 (zhě) means (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ...; (after a noun) person involved in ...; -er. A common word with it is 或者 (huòzhě), meaning "or; possibly; maybe; perhaps".
How do you pronounce 者?
者 is pronounced zhě, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 者?
The radical of 者 is 耂, which carries the idea of "old". Dictionaries list 者 under this radical.
Is 者 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 者 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 或者 and 还是?
Both mean "or", but 或者 (huòzhě) is used in statements, while 还是 (háishi) is used in questions. Say 茶或者咖啡都可以 (chá huòzhě kāfēi dōu kěyǐ) for "tea or coffee is fine", but 你要茶还是咖啡? (nǐ yào chá háishi kāfēi?) for "tea or coffee?"
Can I add 者 to any verb to make a word for a person?
No. 者 is mostly found in set words like 作者 (zuòzhě, author) and 患者 (huànzhě, patient), and it sounds fairly formal. In everyday speech, people often use other endings like 人 (rén) or 员 (yuán), as in 服务员 (fúwùyuán, waiter).