正 (zhèng) means "correct, right, just" with 5 strokes, radical 止 (stop), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: correct
Other meanings:
- right
- just
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
Oracle bone forms of 正 show a foot (止) moving toward a square or circle representing a walled settlement or city. The original picture therefore depicted a military march directly against a target, which is why the character is closely related to 征 (to campaign). The upper element was later regularised into a simple horizontal stroke.
Form evolution
Bronze inscriptions preserve the settlement shape above the foot, sometimes filling it in as a solid square. Seal script abstracted the settlement into a single horizontal line sitting on top of 止. Clerical script straightened the foot element into the five-stroke form, and modern 楷书 inherits 正 with no simplification change.
How the meaning evolved
From the sense of advancing straight toward a target came the ideas of straight, upright, and correct, which dominate the modern readings. The original military sense of marching against an enemy was eventually written with the expanded character 征, leaving 正 to carry the abstract meanings of correctness, orthodoxy, and the principal version of something as in 正面 (front side). It also functions as an aspect marker in 正在, indicating an action in progress.
Cultural note
Chinese shopkeepers and students traditionally use 正 as a tally mark, since each of its five strokes can represent one unit and a completed character represents five. The compound 正义 (justice) preserves the older moral sense of what is correct and upright.
Mnemonic
Stopping at one — correct, straight
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 | zhèng |
| Meanings | correct, right, just |
| Stroke count | 5 strokes |
| Radical | 止 (#77: stop) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #72 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 正
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 正 | zhèng | correct, right | HSK 2 |
| 正在 | zhèngzài | in the process of | HSK 1 |
| 真正 | zhēnzhèng | real | HSK 4 |
| 正常 | zhèngcháng | normal | HSK 4 |
| 正好 | zhènghǎo | Just right | HSK 4 |
| 正确 | zhèngquè | Correct | HSK 4 |
| 正式 | zhèngshì | formal | HSK 4 |
| 反正 | fǎnzhèng | anyway | HSK 5 |
| 改正 | gǎizhèng | correction | HSK 5 |
| 纯正 | chúnzhèng | pure, unadulterated | |
| 订正 | dìngzhèng | to make a correction | |
| 端正 | duānzhèng | upright, regular | HSK 7-9 |
| 更正 | gèngzhèng | to correct, to amend | HSK 7-9 |
| 公正 | gōngzhèng | just, fair | HSK 6 |
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.