The character 罪 — “crime”: how to write it and what it means

罪
zuì

crime, guilt

13 strokes · HSK 6 · word page

The Chinese character 罪 is read zuì and means “crime, guilt”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 罪

罪 has 13 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 罪, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 罪 is made of

On top, 罒 “net”; below, 非 “wrong”: a bad deed caught in a net.

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 罪?

罪 has 13 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 罪 mean?

罪 means “crime, guilt”.

How do you pronounce 罪?

罪 is read zuì. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 罪 have?

13 strokes.

← 犯 violate杀 kill →

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 罪 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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