The character 神 — “god”: how to write it and what it means
god, spirit; magical
The Chinese character 神 is read shén and means “god, spirit; magical”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 神
神 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 神, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 神 is made of
On the left, 礻 “altar”; on the right, 申 shēn hints at the reading. In 精神 it takes the neutral tone: shen.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 神
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 神?
神 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 神 mean?
神 means “god, spirit; magical”. It appears in 精神 (“spirit”), 神话 (“myth”), 神秘 (“mysterious”), 神经 (“nerve”).
How do you pronounce 神?
神 is read shén. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 神 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 神 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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