The character 祖 — “ancestor”: how to write it and what it means
ancestor
The Chinese character 祖 is read zǔ and means “ancestor”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 祖
祖 has 9 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 祖, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 祖 is made of
On the left, 礻 “altar”: ancestors were worshipped. On the right, 且, as in 组 zǔ and 租 zū.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 祖
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 祖?
祖 has 9 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 祖 mean?
祖 means “ancestor”. It appears in 祖国 (“motherland”), 祖先 (“ancestors”).
How do you pronounce 祖?
祖 is read zǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 祖 have?
9 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 祖 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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