The character 持 — “hold”: how to write it and what it means
hold
The Chinese character 持 is read chí and means “hold”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 持
持 has 9 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 持, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 持 is made of
On the left, 扌 “hand”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 持
- 坚持persist, keep at itHSK 3
- 支持supportHSK 4
- 持续continue, lastHSK 5
- 保持keep, maintainHSK 5
- 维持maintain, preserveHSK 5
- 主持host (a program)HSK 5
- 持久lasting, enduringHSK 6
- 持有hold, own (shares, views)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 持?
持 has 9 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 持 mean?
持 means “hold”. It appears in 坚持 (“persist”), 支持 (“support”), 持续 (“continue”), 保持 (“keep”).
How do you pronounce 持?
持 is read chí. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 持 have?
9 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 持 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.
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