The character 世 — “generation”: how to write it and what it means

世
shì

generation; world

5 strokes · HSK 3

The Chinese character 世 is read shì and means “generation; world”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 世

世 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 世, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

Words with 世

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 世?

世 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 世 mean?

世 means “generation; world”. It appears in 世界 (“world”), 世纪 (“century”), 去世 (“pass away”).

How do you pronounce 世?

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

How many strokes does 世 have?

5 strokes.

← 拍 clap界 boundary →

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 世 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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