The character 任 — “appoint”: how to write it and what it means
appoint; post, duty
The Chinese character 任 is read rèn and means “appoint; post, duty”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 任
任 has 6 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 任, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 任 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”; on the right, 壬 rén hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 任
- 任务task, missionHSK 4
- 任何anyHSK 4
- 责任responsibilityHSK 4
- 信任trustHSK 5
- 主任director, headHSK 5
- 担任hold (a position)HSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 任?
任 has 6 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 任 mean?
任 means “appoint; post, duty”. It appears in 任务 (“task”), 任何 (“any”), 责任 (“responsibility”), 信任 (“trust”).
How do you pronounce 任?
任 is read rèn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 任 have?
6 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 任 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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