自 meaning and stroke order
(bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course
How to write 自, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 自
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) self; oneself
- from; since
- naturally; as a matter of course
How 自 is built
Pictographic character. A nose; in China, people refer to themselves by pointing to their noses.
How to remember 自
自 is a picture of a nose, and in China people point to their nose when they mean "me." It looks like 目 (mù, eye) with an extra stroke on top, like the bridge of a nose sitting above the face.
自 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 自己 (zìjǐ, oneself), 自然 (zìrán, natural), and 来自 (láizì, to come from). Example: 我来自美国。(Wǒ láizì Měiguó.) I come from the United States.
Common mistake: Learners often write 目 (mù) or 白 (bái) when they mean 自. 自 has one short slanted stroke on top and three horizontal lines inside, while 目 has no top stroke and 白 has only one inner line.
Common words with 自
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own | HSK 2 |
| 自由 | zìyóu | freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted | HSK 2 |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) | HSK 2 |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle; bike | HSK 2 |
| 大自然 | dàzìrán | nature (the natural world) | HSK 2 |
| 自然 | zìrán | nature; natural | HSK 3 |
| 自从 | zìcóng | since (a time); ever since | HSK 3 |
| 亲自 | qīnzì | personally; in person | HSK 3 |
| 自动 | zìdòng | automatic; voluntarily | HSK 3 |
| 各自 | gèzì | each; respective | HSK 3 |
| 自身 | zìshēn | itself; oneself | HSK 3 |
| 自觉 | zìjué | to realize; to be aware of; to feel that; to be conscious of (sth relating to oneself); re | HSK 3 |
| 自主 | zìzhǔ | to act independently; to be autonomous; to be in control of one's own affairs | HSK 3 |
| 独自 | dúzì | alone | HSK 4 |
自 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 自
Learning 自 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 自
How many strokes are in 自?
自 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 自 mean?
自 (zì) means (bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course. A common word with it is 自己 (zìjǐ), meaning "oneself; (attributive) one's own".
How do you pronounce 自?
自 is pronounced zì, in the fourth tone (falling).
Is 自 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 自 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 自己 and 自?
自己 (zìjǐ) is the normal standalone word for oneself, as in 你自己做 (nǐ zìjǐ zuò, do it yourself). 自 is mostly a bound form used inside other words like 自学 (zìxué, to study on your own).
Why does 自 mean both "self" and "from"?
These are two separate senses of the same character. The "from" or "since" meaning shows up in words like 来自 (láizì, to come from) and 自从 (zìcóng, ever since), and in formal phrases like 自古以来 (zì gǔ yǐlái, since ancient times).