茲 meaning and stroke order
Now, here; this; time, year
How to write 茲, stroke by stroke
10 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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- 10
Meaning of 茲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) this
- (literary) now
- (literary) year
- used in 龜茲|龟兹[Qiu1 ci2]
How 茲 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 茲
Picture grass 艹 sprouting on top of two tiny threads 幺幺 side by side. Think of new shoots growing right here, right now, which links to the meanings "this" and "now."
茲 (zī) is the traditional form and mostly appears in formal or literary writing, where it means "this" or "now." Today you will see the simplified 兹 far more often, especially in sound loanwords like 赫兹 (hèzī, hertz) and 华尔兹 (huá'ěrzī, waltz). A fixed formal phrase is 茲有 (zī yǒu), used to open notices: 茲有一事相告。(Zī yǒu yí shì xiāng gào.) Here is a matter to inform you of.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 茲 with 慈 (cí, kind), which has 心 (heart) underneath, and with 磁 (cí, magnetic), which adds 石 (stone) on the left. Also remember the rare reading cí only appears in the place name 龜茲 (Qiūcí).
Common words with 茲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 華爾茲 | huá'ěrzī | (loanword) waltz (dance) | |
| 赫茲 | Hèzī | hertz (Hz), unit of frequency |
Questions about 茲
How many strokes are in 茲?
茲 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 茲 mean?
茲 (zī) means now, here; this; time, year. A common word with it is 华尔兹 (huá'ěrzī), meaning "(loanword) waltz (dance)".
How do you pronounce 茲?
茲 is pronounced zī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 茲?
The radical of 茲 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 茲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 茲?
茲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 兹, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 念茲在茲 mean?
念茲在茲 (niàn zī zài zī) is a literary idiom meaning to keep something constantly in mind. It describes thinking about one matter all the time.
Why is 茲 used in words like hertz and waltz?
In these loanwords 茲 or 兹 is chosen only for its sound, zī, to imitate the foreign syllable. Its meaning of "this" or "now" plays no role there.