The character 子 — “child”: how to write it and what it means
child; suffix
The Chinese character 子 is read zǐ and means “child; suffix”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 子
子 has 3 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 子, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 子 is made of
A picture of a swaddled baby. As a suffix it is read with the neutral tone: zi.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 子
- 孩子childHSK 1
- 儿子sonHSK 1
- 杯子cup, glassHSK 1
- 包子baozi, steamed bunHSK 1
- 饺子dumplingsHSK 1
- 桌子tableHSK 1
- 椅子chairHSK 1
- 妻子wifeHSK 2
- 个子heightHSK 2
- 裤子pantsHSK 2
- 本子notebookHSK 2
- 房子house, apartmentHSK 3
- 屋子roomHSK 3
- 箱子suitcase, boxHSK 3
- 盘子plate, dishHSK 3
- 筷子chopsticksHSK 3
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 子?
子 has 3 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 子 mean?
子 means “child; suffix”. It appears in 孩子 (“child”), 儿子 (“son”), 杯子 (“cup”), 包子 (“baozi”).
How do you pronounce 子?
子 is read zǐ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 子 have?
3 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 子 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free