辰 meaning and stroke order
Early morning; fortune, good luck; 5th terrestrial branch
How to write 辰, stroke by stroke
7 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
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- 7
Meaning of 辰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- 5th earthly branch: 7-9 a.m., 3rd solar month (5th April-4th May), year of the Dragon
- ancient Chinese compass point: 120°
How 辰 is built
Components of the character.
How to remember 辰
Picture 辰 as a cliff 厂 with two lines 二 under it, like a ledge where you watch the sun come up. That links the shape to its meaning of early morning and the 7 to 9 a.m. time slot.
辰 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in set words like 时辰 (shíchen), 星辰 (xīngchén) and the formal 诞辰 (dànchén), which is used for the birthdays of famous or historical people. Example: 今天是孔子的诞辰。(Jīntiān shì Kǒngzǐ de dànchén.) Today is Confucius's birthday.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 辰 with 晨 (chén, morning), which adds 日 on top. For everyday words like 早晨 (zǎochen), use 晨, not 辰. Also, 诞辰 is formal, so do not use it for a friend's birthday. Say 生日 (shēngrì) instead.
Common words with 辰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
辰 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 辰
Learning 辰 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 辰
How many strokes are in 辰?
辰 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 辰 mean?
辰 (chén) means early morning; fortune, good luck; 5th terrestrial branch. A common word with it is 诞辰 (dànchén), meaning "birthday".
How do you pronounce 辰?
辰 is pronounced chén, in the second tone (rising).
Is 辰 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 辰 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 辰 connected to the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac?
辰 is the 5th of the twelve earthly branches, and that branch is paired with the Dragon. So a 辰年 (chénnián) is a Year of the Dragon.
Why is the second syllable of 时辰 written without a tone?
In 时辰 (shíchen) the 辰 is usually read in the neutral tone in everyday speech. A 时辰 is one of the twelve two-hour periods of the traditional day, and 辰时 (chénshí) is the one from 7 to 9 a.m.