字 (zì) · character

字 (zì) means “character”. It is made of 宀 + 子 and has 6 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

Break 字 into its parts

What 字 is made of

• 宀 — roof
  • 丶 — dot
  • 冖 mì — cover
• 子 zǐ — child
  • 了 liǎo / le — finish
    • 乛 — bent stroke
    • 亅 — hook
  • 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A child 子 in a house 宀; 子 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

字 stroke order

Example sentences

Words with 字

• 汉字hànzìChinese character
• 名字míngziname
• 数字shùzìnumber
• 字典zìdiǎndictionary
• 文字wénzìwriting
• 字母zìmǔletter (of the alphabet)
• 字幕zìmùsubtitles
• 赤字chìzìdeficit
• 繁体字fántǐzìtraditional Chinese characters
• 简体字jiǎntǐzìsimplified Chinese characters
• 十字路口shízìlùkǒucrossroads

Also built with 宀

• 塞sāito stop up
• 宁níngcalm
• 它tāit
• 宅zháiresidence
• 宇yǔbuilding
• 守shǒuto guard
• 安ānsafe
• 完wánto finish
• 宏hónggreat
• 宗zōngancestry
• 官guānofficial
• 宙zhòuspace

Quick facts

Questions about 字