The character 生 — “be born”: how to write it and what it means
be born, life
The Chinese character 生 is read shēng and means “be born, life”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 生
生 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 生, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 生 is made of
In 学生 it means “one who”: one who studies. It is read with the neutral tone: sheng.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 生
- 学生studentHSK 1
- 先生Mr., sirHSK 1
- 医生doctorHSK 1
- 生病get sickHSK 1
- 小学生elementary studentHSK 1
- 中学生secondary school studentHSK 1
- 大学生university studentHSK 1
- 生日birthdayHSK 2
- 男生male student, guyHSK 3
- 女生female student, girlHSK 3
- 生气get angryHSK 3
- 出生be bornHSK 3
- 生活life; liveHSK 3
- 发生happenHSK 3
- 卫生间bathroomHSK 3
- 留学生international student; student abroadHSK 3
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 生?
生 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 生 mean?
生 means “be born, life”. It appears in 学生 (“student”), 先生 (“Mr.”), 医生 (“doctor”), 生病 (“get sick”).
How do you pronounce 生?
生 is read shēng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 生 have?
5 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 生 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.
Start for free