資 meaning and stroke order
Wealth, property, capital
How to write 資, stroke by stroke
13 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
- 5
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- 13
Meaning of 資
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- resources
- capital
- to provide
- to supply
- to support
- money
How 資 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
貝 gives the meaning and 次 hints at the sound.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 資
資 is built from 次 (cì) on top of 貝 (bèi), the shell that stood for money in old Chinese characters. 貝 gives the meaning of money and wealth, while 次 hints at the sound zī.
資 rarely appears alone and mostly shows up in two-character words about money, resources and support, such as 工资 (gōngzī) wages, 投资 (tóuzī) investment and 资料 (zīliào) materials. Example: 他的工资很高。(Tā de gōngzī hěn gāo.) His salary is very high.
Common mistake: Learners often read 資 as cì because of the 次 on top, but the character is pronounced zī with a first tone. Also do not confuse it with 贷 (dài, loan), which has 代 on top of the same money component.
Common words with 資
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 資格 | zīgé | qualifications; seniority | HSK 3 |
| 資金 | zījīn | funds; capital | HSK 3 |
| 工資 | gōngzī | wages; pay | HSK 3 |
| 資料 | zīliào | material; resources | HSK 4 |
| 投資 | tóuzī | investment; to invest | HSK 4 |
| 資源 | zīyuán | natural resource (such as water or minerals); resource (such as manpower or tourism) | HSK 4 |
| 資產 | zīchǎn | property; assets | HSK 5 |
| 資助 | zīzhù | to subsidize; to provide financial aid | HSK 5 |
| 資本 | zīběn | capital (economics) | HSK 5 |
| 外資 | wàizī | foreign investment; foreign capital | HSK 6 |
| 資本主義 | zīběn zhǔyì | capitalism | HSK 7-9 |
| 資訊 | zīxùn | information | HSK 7-9 |
| 物資 | wùzī | goods; supplies | HSK 7-9 |
| 資深 | zīshēn | senior; highly experienced; veteran | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 資
How many strokes are in 資?
資 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 資 mean?
資 (zī) means wealth, property, capital. A common word with it is 资格 (zīgé), meaning "qualifications; seniority".
How do you pronounce 資?
資 is pronounced zī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 資?
The radical of 資 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 資 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 資?
資 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 资, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why do the common words write 资 instead of 資?
资 is the simplified form used in mainland China, where 貝 is written as 贝. 資 is the form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and both mean the same thing.
What is the difference between 资料 (zīliào) and 资源 (zīyuán)?
资料 means materials or information, like documents and data you collect for study or work. 资源 means resources in a broader sense, such as water, minerals, manpower or tourism resources.