字 zì character
character; written word
How to remember 字: 宀 house + 子 child = character. The Chinese child sits in the house learning every single character, which is not easy at all!
Component breakdown
字 = 宀 house + 子 child
- 宀 house
- 子 child
The Chinese child sits in the house learning every single character, which is not easy at all!
How it is used
- Written character / word - 汉字 (Hànzì) Chinese characters, 名字 (míngzi) name, 写字 (xiě zì) write characters.
- One 字 is one character; a multi-syllable word is 词 (cí) - keep the two apart.
Words with 字
- 名字míngzìnameHSK 1
- 汉字HànzìChinese character(s)HSK 1
- 字典zìdiǎnChinese character dictionaryHSK 3
- 数字shùzìnumberHSK 4
- 十字路口shízìlùkǒucrossroadsHSK 4
- 文字wénzìcharacterHSK 4
- 字母zìmǔletter (of the alphabet)HSK 5
- 签字qiānzìto sign (one's name)HSK 5
- 字幕zìmùsubtitlesHSK 6
- 数字化shùzìhuàto digitizeHSK 6
- 字体zìtǐcalligraphic styleHSK 7
- 字眼zìyǎnwordingHSK 7
- 简体字jiǎntǐzìsimplified Chinese character, as opposed to traditional Chinese character 繁体字HSK 7
- 老字号lǎozìhaoshop, firm, or brand of merchandise with a long-established reputationHSK 7
- 错别字cuòbiézìincorrectly written or mispronounced charactersHSK 7
- 字迹zìjìhandwritingHSK 8
- 繁体字fántǐzìtraditional Chinese characterHSK 9
- 赤字chìzìdeficitHSK 9
Example sentences
- 他不会写字。 Tā bú huì xiězì.He can't write.
- 我不认识这个字。 Wǒ bú rènshi zhège zì.I don't know this character.
- 他写字很快。 Tā xiě zì hěn kuài.He writes very quickly.
- 她在黑板上写字。 Tā zài hēibǎn shàng xiězì.She is writing on the chalkboard.