隻 meaning and stroke order
Only, merely, just
How to write 隻, 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.
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Meaning of 隻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
How 隻 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Again.
又 gives the meaning and 隹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 隹 (short-tailed bird), shared by 32 characters on this site.
How to remember 隻
The top part 隹 is a short-tailed bird, and the bottom part 又 is a hand. Picture one hand holding one bird, which is why 隻 (zhī) counts single animals and means one of a pair.
隻 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong as the classifier for many animals, one of a pair, and some vessels. In simplified Chinese it is written 只. Example: 一隻貓 (yì zhī māo) one cat.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 隻 with 雙 (shuāng, a pair), which has two 隹 over 又. Remember that one bird means one item, two birds means a pair. Also, in traditional text the word for only (zhǐ, third tone) is 只, not 隻, so do not use 隻 for only.
Common words with 隻
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 隻
How many strokes are in 隻?
隻 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 隻 mean?
隻 (zhī) means only, merely, just. A common word with it is 船只 (chuánzhī), meaning "ship; boat".
How do you pronounce 隻?
隻 is pronounced zhī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 隻?
The radical of 隻 is 隹, which carries the idea of "short-tailed bird". Dictionaries list 隻 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 隻?
隻 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 只, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 隻 pronounced zhī or zhǐ?
As a classifier, 隻 is always zhī, first tone. The third tone zhǐ meaning only is written 只 in traditional Chinese. Simplified Chinese merges both into 只, so context decides the tone.
Which animals use 隻 as their classifier?
隻 is used for birds, cats, dogs, and many small or medium animals, as in 一隻鳥 (yì zhī niǎo) one bird. It also counts one of a pair, like 一隻手 (yì zhī shǒu) one hand. Larger animals often take other classifiers, such as 頭 (tóu) for cattle or 匹 (pǐ) for horses.