The character 支 — “support”: how to write it and what it means
support; pay out
The Chinese character 支 is read zhī and means “support; pay out”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 支
支 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 支, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 支 is made of
At the bottom, 又 “hand”; on top, 十: a hand holding a branch.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 支
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 支?
支 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 支 mean?
支 means “support; pay out”. It appears in 支持 (“support”), 支付 (“pay”), 支出 (“spend”), 支撑 (“support”).
How do you pronounce 支?
支 is read zhī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 支 have?
4 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 支 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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