The character 信 — “believe”: how to write it and what it means
believe; letter
The Chinese character 信 is read xìn and means “believe; letter”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 信
信 has 9 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 信, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 信 is made of
亻 “person” and 言 “word”: a person keeps their word.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 信
- 相信believe, trustHSK 3
- 信用卡credit cardHSK 3
- 信心confidenceHSK 4
- 自信self-confidentHSK 4
- 短信text message, SMSHSK 4
- 回信write back; reply letterHSK 4
- 信号signalHSK 4
- 信息information, messageHSK 4
- 信任trustHSK 5
- 信封envelopeHSK 5
- 信用trustworthiness, keeping one's word; creditHSK 5
- 信赖trust, rely (on)HSK 6
- 通信correspond; communications (industry)HSK 6
- 诚信honesty, integrityHSK 6
- 信念belief, convictionHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 信?
信 has 9 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 信 mean?
信 means “believe; letter”. It appears in 相信 (“believe”), 信用卡 (“credit card”), 信心 (“confidence”), 自信 (“self-confident”).
How do you pronounce 信?
信 is read xìn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 信 have?
9 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 信 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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