质 meaning and stroke order
Essence, nature; material, substance
How to write 质, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 质
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- character
- nature
- quality
- plain
- to pawn
- pledge
How 质 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Shell.
贝 gives the meaning and 十 hints at the sound.
Radical: 厂 (cliff), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 质
The bottom part 贝 is a shell, which stood for money and things of value, so 质 is about what something is really made of and worth. Picture a valuable shell 贝 tucked under a cliff 厂 with a 十 on top: its true substance is checked before it is used as a pledge.
质 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in compounds about quality, nature, or substance, such as 质量 (zhìliàng), 性质 (xìngzhì), and 物质 (wùzhì). Example: 这家店的东西质量很好。(Zhè jiā diàn de dōngxi zhìliàng hěn hǎo.) The things in this shop are of good quality.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 质 (zhì) with 贵 (guì, expensive), since both have 贝 at the bottom. Look at the top: 质 has the 厂 frame with 十 inside, while 贵 has a 中-like top with a horizontal stroke.
Common words with 质
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 质量 | zhìliàng | (physics) mass; quality (i.e. degree of excellence) | HSK 4 |
| 品质 | pǐnzhì | character; intrinsic quality (of a person) | HSK 4 |
| 性质 | xìngzhì | nature; characteristic | HSK 4 |
| 物质 | wùzhì | matter; substance | HSK 5 |
| 本质 | běnzhì | essence; nature | HSK 6 |
| 优质 | yōuzhì | excellent quality | HSK 6 |
| 素质 | sùzhì | inner quality; basic essence | HSK 6 |
| 人质 | rénzhì | hostage | HSK 7-9 |
| 质疑 | zhìyí | to call into question; to challenge (the truth or validity of) | HSK 7-9 |
| 特质 | tèzhì | characteristic; special quality | HSK 7-9 |
| 蛋白质 | dànbáizhì | protein | HSK 7-9 |
| 气质 | qìzhì | personality traits; temperament; disposition; aura; air; feel; vibe | HSK 7-9 |
| 质问 | zhìwèn | to question; to ask questions | HSK 7-9 |
| 实质 | shízhì | substance; essence | HSK 7-9 |
质 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 质
How many strokes are in 质?
质 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 质 mean?
质 (zhì) means essence, nature; material, substance. A common word with it is 质量 (zhìliàng), meaning "(physics) mass; quality (i.e. degree of excellence)".
How do you pronounce 质?
质 is pronounced zhì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 质?
The radical of 质 is 厂, which carries the idea of "cliff". Dictionaries list 质 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 质?
The traditional form of 质 is 質. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 质 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 质 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 质 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 质量 mean quality or mass?
Both. In everyday Chinese 质量 (zhìliàng) usually means quality, as in 质量很好. In physics it means mass, so context tells you which one is meant.
Why does 人质 mean hostage?
One sense of 质 is a pledge or something given as security. 人质 (rénzhì) is literally a person held as a pledge, which is a hostage.