The character 智 — “wisdom”: how to write it and what it means
wisdom, intellect
The Chinese character 智 is read zhì and means “wisdom, intellect”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 智
智 has 12 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 智, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 智 is made of
On top, 知 zhī “know” gives both meaning and reading; below, 日.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 智
- 智能intelligence; smart (of devices)HSK 5
- 智慧wisdomHSK 5
- 智力intelligence, intellectHSK 6
- 人工智能artificial intelligenceHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 智?
智 has 12 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 智 mean?
智 means “wisdom, intellect”. It appears in 智能 (“intelligence”), 智慧 (“wisdom”), 智力 (“intelligence”), 人工智能 (“artificial intelligence”).
How do you pronounce 智?
智 is read zhì. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 智 have?
12 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 智 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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