The character 石 — “stone”: how to write it and what it means
stone
The Chinese character 石 is read shí and means “stone”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 石
石 has 5 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 石, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 石 is made of
Under the cliff 厂 lies a stone 口. As a side component it means “stone”: 破, 研, 础.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 石
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 石?
石 has 5 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 石 mean?
石 means “stone”. It appears in 石头 (“stone”), 石油 (“oil”), 化石 (“fossil”).
How do you pronounce 石?
石 is read shí. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 石 have?
5 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 石 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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