鼻 meaning and stroke order
Nose; first
How to write 鼻, stroke by stroke
14 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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- 14
Meaning of 鼻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- nose
How 鼻 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Self.
自 gives the meaning and 畀 hints at the sound.
How to remember 鼻
The top part 自 (zì, self) is the meaning part, and people in China often point to their nose when they mean "me." The bottom part 畀 (bì) gives the sound, which is close to bí.
On its own 鼻 is rare in speech. People usually say 鼻子 (bízi) for nose, and 鼻 appears inside words like 鼻孔 (bíkǒng, nostril) and 流鼻涕 (liú bítì, runny nose). Example: 我感冒了，一直流鼻涕。(Wǒ gǎnmào le, yìzhí liú bítì.) I have a cold and my nose keeps running.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 白 (bái) or 目 (mù) instead of 自. 自 has a short stroke on top and three horizontal lines inside. Also keep the second tone bí and do not drift to the fourth tone of its sound part 畀 (bì).
Common words with 鼻
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
鼻 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 鼻
Learning 鼻 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 鼻
How many strokes are in 鼻?
鼻 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鼻 mean?
鼻 (bí) means nose; first. A common word with it is 鼻子 (bízi), meaning "nose".
How do you pronounce 鼻?
鼻 is pronounced bí, in the second tone (rising).
Is 鼻 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 鼻 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 鼻 also mean "first"?
In literary words like 鼻祖 (bízǔ), 鼻 means the earliest ancestor or founder of something. This sense is formal and you will mostly see it in that word.
What does 流鼻血 mean besides a nosebleed?
Literally it means to bleed from the nose. In casual and joking speech it can also mean someone is very attracted to a person they find sexy, like in cartoons.