The character 直 — “straight”: how to write it and what it means
straight; all along
The Chinese character 直 is read zhí and means “straight; all along”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 直
直 has 8 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 直, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 直 is made of
Inside, 目 “eye”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 直
- 直到untilHSK 3
- 一直all along; straightHSK 3
- 直接direct, directlyHSK 4
- 直播live broadcastHSK 5
- 简直simply (intensifier)HSK 5
- 垂直vertical, perpendicularHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 直?
直 has 8 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 直 mean?
直 means “straight; all along”. It appears in 直到 (“until”), 一直 (“all along”), 直接 (“direct”), 直播 (“live broadcast”).
How do you pronounce 直?
直 is read zhí. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 直 have?
8 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 直 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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