What does 这 mean in Chinese?

这 (zhè) means "this" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 这?

这 is written with 7 strokes, starting from the 辶 (walk) 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 这?

The radical of 这 is 辶 (walk, Kangxi radical #162). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 道, 过, 通, 运.

How many strokes does 这 have?

The Chinese character 这 has 7 strokes.

What HSK level is 这?

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

这 (zhè): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

这

zhè

this

HSK 1 character 7 strokes Radical: 辶 (walk)

Quick Answer

这 (zhè) means "this" with 7 strokes, radical 辶 (walk), HSK 1 on the new exam.

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

Pronunciation

zhè

Meaning

Primary: this

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

这 has no oracle-bone ancestry. It is a relatively late character, not attested in early bronze or seal inscriptions in its current demonstrative role. The form combines 辵 (movement, now 辶) with 文 as phonetic, though the phonetic fit is loose and scholars treat 这 as a borrowed graph pressed into service for the spoken demonstrative zhè during the Tang-Song period.

Form evolution

Early medieval manuscripts show the character with a fuller 辵 and 言 or 文 on the right; the traditional form 這 uses 言. Clerical and regular script regularised 辵 into 辶. The simplified mainland form 这 kept 辶 but replaced 言 with 文, reducing strokes from 11 to 7. Hong Kong and Taiwan retain 這.

How the meaning evolved

Before 这 took over, Classical Chinese used 此 and 是 for 'this.' 这 rose as the vernacular demonstrative during the Tang dynasty as spoken Chinese diverged from the literary register, and by the Song it was standard in baihua fiction. Modern Mandarin uses 这 almost exclusively in speech, while 此 survives in formal and written contexts.

Cultural note

In careful Mandarin 这 is read zhè, but in casual northern speech it often reduces to zhèi when followed by a measure word, as in 这个 becoming zhèige. Dictionaries list both; learners who only know zhè sometimes mishear native speakers.