The character 秒 — “second”: how to write it and what it means
second (of time)
The Chinese character 秒 is read miǎo and means “second (of time)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 秒
秒 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 秒, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 秒 is made of
On the left, 禾 “grain”; on the right, 少 “few, little”: originally the thin bristle of an ear of grain, something tiny.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 秒?
秒 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 秒 mean?
秒 means “second (of time)”.
How do you pronounce 秒?
秒 is read miǎo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 秒 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 秒 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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