肾 meaning and stroke order
Kidney
How to write 肾, 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
- 4
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- 8
Meaning of 肾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- kidney
How 肾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 肾
The bottom part ⺼ is the flesh radical, used for body parts, so 肾 (shèn) is an organ in your body. Picture the top as a hand 又 reaching around to your lower back, where your kidneys sit.
In everyday speech 肾 (shèn) appears mostly in medical or health contexts, and the full word 肾脏 (shènzàng) is common in formal or medical writing. 他的肾不太好。(Tā de shèn bú tài hǎo.) His kidneys are not very healthy.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 肾 (shèn) with 紧 (jǐn, tight), whose top looks similar but whose bottom is 糸, not the flesh radical ⺼. Also note that the bottom ⺼ looks like 月 (moon) but here it means flesh.
Common words with 肾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 肾上腺素 | shènshàngxiànsù | adrenaline | |
| 肾脏 | shènzàng | kidney |
Questions about 肾
How many strokes are in 肾?
肾 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 肾 mean?
肾 (shèn) means kidney. A common word with it is 肾上腺素 (shènshàngxiànsù), meaning "adrenaline".
How do you pronounce 肾?
肾 is pronounced shèn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 肾?
The radical of 肾 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 肾 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 肾?
The traditional form of 肾 is 腎. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 肾 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 肾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 肾 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say kidney stone in Chinese?
A kidney stone is 肾结石 (shèn jiéshí). 结石 means a stone that forms in the body.
What does 肾 mean in traditional Chinese medicine?
In traditional Chinese medicine 肾 refers to more than the physical organ and is linked to energy and vitality. Phrases like 补肾 (bǔ shèn), to strengthen the kidneys, come from this idea.