The character 民 — “people”: how to write it and what it means

民
mín

people, the public

5 strokes · HSK 4

The Chinese character 民 is read mín and means “people, the public”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 民

民 has 5 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 民, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

Words with 民

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 民?

民 has 5 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 民 mean?

民 means “people, the public”. It appears in 民族 (“people”), 居民 (“residents”), 农民 (“peasant”), 人民 (“the people”).

How do you pronounce 民?

民 is read mín. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 民 have?

5 strokes.

← 省 province族 clan →

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 民 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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