The character 井 — “well”: how to write it and what it means

井
jǐng

well

4 strokes · HSK 6 · word page

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

Stroke order: how to write 井

井 has 4 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 井, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 井 is made of

A drawing of a well's wooden frame, seen from above.

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 井?

井 has 4 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 井 mean?

井 means “well”.

How do you pronounce 井?

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

How many strokes does 井 have?

4 strokes.

← 歇 rest偷 steal →

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 井 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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