What does 子 mean in Chinese?

子 (zǐ) means "child, son" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 子?

子 is written with 3 strokes, starting from the 子 (child) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 子?

The radical of 子 is 子 (child, Kangxi radical #39). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 学.

How many strokes does 子 have?

The Chinese character 子 has 3 strokes.

What HSK level is 子?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 子 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

子 (zǐ): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

子

zǐ

child, son

HSK 1 character 3 strokes Radical: 子 (child)

Quick Answer

子 (zǐ) means "child, son" with 3 strokes, radical 子 (child), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 子 →Animated stroke-order for 子 →

Pronunciation

zǐ

Meaning

Primary: child

Other meanings:

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

子 is a clear pictograph in oracle-bone script, showing an infant with an oversized head, small body, and arms either swaddled or reaching outward. Some early graphs depict visible hair or fontanelles on the head. It is one of the oldest and most stable characters in the Chinese writing system.

Form evolution

The oracle-bone form was already highly schematic. Bronze inscriptions rounded the body and arms, seal script regularised the head into a single horizontal stroke with a vertical body, and clerical script produced the three-stroke form we use today. The modern 楷书 shape is essentially the clerical form with sharper corners.

How the meaning evolved

The original meaning was 'child, infant, offspring', and this is preserved in compounds like 孩子 and 儿子. It extended early to 'seed' (种子), 'small thing' (扣子, 椅子), and was grammaticalised as a noun suffix in Mandarin, where it carries no lexical meaning. Classical Chinese also uses 子 as an honorific for a master or philosopher, as in 孔子 and 老子.

Cultural note

子 is the first of the twelve Earthly Branches and appears in the zodiac cycle as the Rat (子鼠) and in the traditional time system for 11pm-1am. Learners often overlook that the suffix 子 is toneless in modern Mandarin, which changes the rhythm of words like 桌子 compared with lexical uses like 子女.

Mnemonic

A baby with outstretched arms — child

Basic info

Pinyin	zǐ
Meanings	child, son
Stroke count	3 strokes
Radical	子 (#39: child)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#2 most common

Example sentences

孩子很小。
Háizi hěn xiǎo.
The child is very young.
From 子 (HSK 3)
请坐椅子。
Qǐng zuò yǐzi.
Please sit on the chair.
From 椅子 (HSK 1)
桌子上有书。
Zhuōzi shàng yǒu shū.
There are books on the desk.
From 桌子 (HSK 1)

Words containing 子

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
子	zǐ	child, son	HSK 3
儿子	érzi	son	HSK 1
妻子	qīzi	wife	HSK 2
孩子	háizi	child	HSK 1
杯子	bēizi	cup	HSK 1
桌子	zhuōzi	desk	HSK 1
椅子	yǐzi	chair	HSK 1
个子	gèzi	height	HSK 2
句子	jùzi	sentence	HSK 3
帽子	màozi	Hat	HSK 4
瓶子	píngzi	bottle	HSK 3
电子邮件	diànzǐ yóujiàn	email
盘子	pánzi	plate	HSK 3
筷子	kuàizi	chopsticks	HSK 3
裙子	qúnzi	skirt	HSK 3
裤子	kùzi	trousers	HSK 2
鼻子	bízi	nose	HSK 4
包子	bāozi	Steamed stuffed bun	HSK 1
肚子	dùzi	belly	HSK 4
盒子	hézi	Box	HSK 4

Related characters

Don't confuse with

了

子 (zǐ) ≠ 了 (le), completed action marker

字

子 (zǐ) ≠ 字 (zì), character

Share the 子 (child) radical

学xué

See all characters with the 子 radical →

Similar meaning (person)

人person 老old 客师们plural marker for pronouns 友我I 他he

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 子 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 1 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Appears in these articles

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.