资 meaning and stroke order
Wealth, property, capital
How to write 资, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 资
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- resources
- capital
- to provide
- to supply
- to support
- money
How 资 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 次 hints at the sound.
Radical: 贝 (sea shell), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 资
资 is built from 次 (cì) on top, which gives the sound, and 贝 (bèi, shell) below, which gives the meaning. Shells were once used as money, so picture a pile of shells stacked up as your savings: that is wealth and resources.
资 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in many money and resource words like 工资 (gōngzī, wages), 投资 (tóuzī, to invest) and 资料 (zīliào, materials). Example: 他的工资很高。(Tā de gōngzī hěn gāo.) His pay is very high.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 资 (zī) with 姿 (zī, posture) and 咨 (zī, to consult), which share the 次 top. Only 资 has 贝 at the bottom, so think money when you see the shell.
Common words with 资
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 资格 | zīgé | qualifications; seniority | HSK 3 |
| 资金 | zījīn | funds; capital | HSK 3 |
| 工资 | gōngzī | wages; pay | HSK 3 |
| 资料 | zīliào | material; resources | HSK 4 |
| 投资 | tóuzī | investment; to invest | HSK 4 |
| 资源 | zīyuán | natural resource (such as water or minerals); resource (such as manpower or tourism) | HSK 4 |
| 资产 | zīchǎn | property; assets | HSK 5 |
| 资助 | zīzhù | to subsidize; to provide financial aid | HSK 5 |
| 资本 | zīběn | capital (economics) | HSK 5 |
| 外资 | wàizī | foreign investment; foreign capital | HSK 6 |
| 资本主义 | zīběn zhǔyì | capitalism | HSK 7-9 |
| 资讯 | zīxùn | information | HSK 7-9 |
| 物资 | wùzī | goods; supplies | HSK 7-9 |
| 资深 | zīshēn | senior; highly experienced; veteran | HSK 7-9 |
资 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 资
How many strokes are in 资?
资 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 资 mean?
资 (zī) means wealth, property, capital. A common word with it is 资格 (zīgé), meaning "qualifications; seniority".
How do you pronounce 资?
资 is pronounced zī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 资?
The radical of 资 is 贝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 资 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 资?
The traditional form of 资 is 資. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 资 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 资 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 资 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 资料 and 材料?
资料 (zīliào) usually means information or reference material, like documents and data. 材料 (cáiliào) is broader and often means physical materials, though it can also mean application documents.
Does 资 always relate to money?
Not always. It often means resources or qualifications in general, as in 资源 (zīyuán, resources) and 资格 (zīgé, qualifications). The core idea is something valuable you have or provide.