Meaning of 字
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- letter
- symbol
- character
- word
- courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 字
字 means a written character or word, and it appears in many common words like 汉字 (Hànzì), 名字 (míngzi), and 数字 (shùzì). Example: 这个字怎么读？(Zhège zì zěnme dú?) How do you read this character?
字 is made of 宀 (a roof) over 子 (zǐ, child). Picture a child under a roof at home, learning to write characters.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 字 (zì) with 子 (zǐ, child), since they share the bottom part and sound similar. Remember that 字 has the roof 宀 on top and a fourth tone, while 子 has no roof and a third tone.
字 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
字 zì · letter · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 字.
| 名字 | míngzi | name (of a person or thing) |
| 汉字 | Hànzì | Chinese character(s) |
| 数字 | shùzì | numeral; digit |
| 字典 | zìdiǎn | Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a |
| 文字 | wénzì | character; script |
| 字母 | zìmǔ | letter (of the alphabet) |
| 签字 | qiānzì | to sign (one's name); signature |
| 识字 | shízì | to learn to read; able to read; literate |
| 写字楼 | xiězìlóu | office building |
| 写字台 | xiězìtái | writing desk |
| 字幕 | zìmù | subtitles; captions (of a movie etc) |
| 金字塔 | jīnzìtǎ | pyramid (building or structure) |
Questions about 字
What does 字 mean?
字 (zì) means "letter; symbol" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 字?
字 is made of 1 character: 字 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 字 an HSK word?
Yes. 字 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is the 字 in 名字 pronounced with a full tone?
In everyday speech, 名字 is usually said as míngzi, with 字 in the neutral tone. On its own, 字 keeps its fourth tone, zì.
What is the difference between 字 and 词 (cí)?
字 is a single written character, while 词 is a word, which can be one or more characters. For example, 字典 (zìdiǎn) has two 字 but is one 词.