職 meaning and stroke order
Duty, profession; office, post
How to write 職, stroke by stroke
18 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 職
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- office
- duty
How 職 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ear.
耳 gives the meaning and 戠 hints at the sound.
Radical: 耳 (ear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 職
職 (zhí) pairs 耳 (ear) on the left with 戠 on the right, which gives the sound. Think of a good employee who keeps an ear open to listen to the boss and do their duty.
In daily Chinese, 職 appears mostly in compound words about jobs and work roles, such as 職業 (zhíyè, profession) and 職位 (zhíwèi, position). In mainland China it is written in simplified form as 职. Example: 他上個月辭職了。(Tā shàng ge yuè cízhí le.) He resigned last month.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 職 with 識 (shí, to know) and 織 (zhī, to weave), which share the same right side 戠. Check the left part: ear 耳 for job, speech 言 for knowing, silk 糸 for weaving.
Common words with 職
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 職業 | zhíyè | occupation; profession; vocation; professional | HSK 3 |
| 職工 | zhígōng | employee; staff member; worker | HSK 3 |
| 辭職 | cízhí | to resign | HSK 5 |
| 職位 | zhíwèi | position; post; job | HSK 5 |
| 職務 | zhíwù | post; position | HSK 5 |
| 職能 | zhínéng | function; role | HSK 5 |
| 職責 | zhízé | duty; responsibility | HSK 6 |
| 求職 | qiúzhí | to seek employment | HSK 6 |
| 職員 | zhíyuán | office worker; staff member | HSK 7-9 |
| 兼職 | jiānzhí | to hold concurrent posts; concurrent job | HSK 7-9 |
| 任職 | rènzhí | to hold a post; to take office | HSK 7-9 |
| 離職 | lízhí | to leave one's job temporarily (e.g. for study); to leave one's job; to resign | HSK 7-9 |
| 就職 | jiùzhí | to take office; to assume a post | HSK 7-9 |
| 在職 | zàizhí | to be employed; to be in post | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 職
How many strokes are in 職?
職 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 職 mean?
職 (zhí) means duty, profession; office, post. A common word with it is 职业 (zhíyè), meaning "occupation; profession; vocation; professional".
How do you pronounce 職?
職 is pronounced zhí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 職?
The radical of 職 is 耳, which carries the idea of "ear". Dictionaries list 職 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 職?
職 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 职, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 職業 and 工作?
工作 (gōngzuò) is the everyday word for a job or for working. 職業 (zhíyè) means occupation or profession in a more formal sense, like the line you fill in on a form.
How do I say I am looking for a job using 職?
You can say 我在求職 (wǒ zài qiúzhí), I am job hunting. In casual speech people also say 我在找工作 (wǒ zài zhǎo gōngzuò).