The character 紧 — “tight”: how to write it and what it means

紧
jǐn

tight; urgent

10 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 紧 is read jǐn and means “tight; urgent”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 紧

紧 has 10 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 紧, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 紧 is made of

At the bottom, 糸 “thread”: to pull tight.

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

Words with 紧

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 紧?

紧 has 10 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 紧 mean?

紧 means “tight; urgent”. It appears in 紧张 (“be nervous”), 赶紧 (“hurry up”), 紧密 (“close”), 紧急 (“urgent”).

How do you pronounce 紧?

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

How many strokes does 紧 have?

10 strokes.

← 恼 be angry压 press →

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 紧 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