字 (zì) means "character" with 6 strokes, radical 宀 (roof), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: character
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
Oracle bone and bronze forms show 宀 (a roof) above 子 (a child), depicting a child under a roof. The original sense was to bear or rear a child inside the home, and by extension to nurse or raise offspring.
Form evolution
The oracle bone and bronze graphs keep the roof and child clearly separate and pictorial. Seal script regularises both components into tidy curves, and clerical script flattens the roof into the modern 宀 radical while squaring off 子, giving the standard kaishu shape used today.
How the meaning evolved
From bearing and raising children the meaning extended to breeding or multiplying, then to derived or secondary forms of something. Because written characters were seen as graphs born from earlier pictographs, 字 came to mean written character or word, which is now its dominant modern sense.
Cultural note
The older meaning survives in 字辈 (generational name characters within a clan) and in the traditional practice of giving a man a 字 (courtesy name) at adulthood, derived from his given name the way a character is derived from its root.
Mnemonic
A child under a roof learns — a character
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | zì |
| Meanings | character |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 宀 (#40: roof) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #271 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 字
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
Studying for HSK 1? Keep 字 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Appears in these articles
- Chinese Alphabet: Does It Exist? Everything Beginners Need to Know
- How to Learn Chinese Characters Fast: 5 Proven Methods (2026)
- Chinese Writing Practice: From First Strokes to Full Sentences
- 100 Most Common Chinese Words (With Sentences & Audio)
- How Many Chinese Characters Are There? (And How Many Do You Need?)
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.