子(zǐ)

HSK 13 strokes

son

Print a 子 worksheet PDFPractice writing 子

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
zǐ
Meaning
son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]; ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north); subsidiary; subordinate; (prefix) sub-
Strokes
3
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 子 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Pictograph⿻了一

A child in a wrap, with outstretched arms but bundled legs

A drawing of the thing it names.

Made of

了le一yī

Parts are arranged overlaid.

How to write 子 step by step

3 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Words with 子

Common words using 子 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

yī一xià下zǐ子
HSK 5

once; one time

Open 一下子 page →
yī一bèi辈zi子
HSK 5

(for) a lifetime

Open 一辈子 page →
yī一lǎn揽zǐ子
HSK 7-9

all-inclusive

Open 一揽子 page →
shì世zǐ子

crown prince; heir of a noble house

Open 世子 page →
bǐng丙zǐ子

thirteenth year C1 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1996 or 2056

Open 丙子 page →
yā丫zǐ子

see 脚丫子

Open 丫子 page →
yī一jiā家zǐ子

the whole family

Open 一家子 page →
yī一zhèn阵zǐ子

a while

Open 一阵子 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 子’s common words

一下辈揽世丙丫家

Ready to master 子?

Trace 子 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

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