The character 椎 — “vertebra”: how to write it and what it means

椎
zhuī

vertebra

12 strokes · HSK 6

The Chinese character 椎 is read zhuī and means “vertebra”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 椎

椎 has 12 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 椎, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 椎 is made of

On the left, 木 “tree”; on the right, 隹 zhuī hints at the reading, as it also does in 推 tuī.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 椎

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 椎?

椎 has 12 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 椎 mean?

椎 means “vertebra”. It appears in 颈椎 (“cervical vertebrae”).

How do you pronounce 椎?

椎 is read zhuī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 椎 have?

12 strokes.

← 颈 neck肩 shoulder →

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 椎 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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