Chinese character for four: 四 (sì)
The Chinese character for four is 四 (sì). It means four and appears in 四月 (sìyuè, April) and 四季 (sìjì, the four seasons). Four is often considered unlucky because 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ, death).
How 四 is built
Early Chinese wrote four as four lines, like 一 二 三. The modern 四 is a later borrowed shape: an enclosure 囗 with two inner strokes, which scholars link to a picture of breath leaving the mouth. As a memory aid, see a box with four sides. Because of the sound link with 死 (death), many buildings in China skip the fourth floor. It is identical in both scripts.
四 sì · four
- 囗wéi — enclosure
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 儿ér — child
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 乚 — hook stroke
Origin hint: A child 儿 in a room with four walls 囗 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 四 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: Many Chinese readers see 四 as unlucky because it sounds like death, so avoid it as a standalone lucky symbol.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for four?
四 (sì) means “four”.
How do you pronounce 四?
四 is pronounced sì.