The character 止 — “stop”: how to write it and what it means
stop
The Chinese character 止 is read zhǐ and means “stop”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 止
止 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 止, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 止 is made of
A drawing of a foot. It hints at the sound of 址 zhǐ.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 止
- 停止stopHSK 4
- 禁止prohibitHSK 4
- 防止preventHSK 5
- 阻止stop, preventHSK 5
- 截止end (of a deadline)HSK 6
- 不止not only; not stopHSK 6
- 为止until, up to (of a time)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 止?
止 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 止 mean?
止 means “stop”. It appears in 停止 (“stop”), 禁止 (“prohibit”), 防止 (“prevent”), 阻止 (“stop”).
How do you pronounce 止?
止 is read zhǐ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 止 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 止 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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