自 — from
from, since (lit.)
How to pronounce it
自 is read zì. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
A picture of a nose: when Chinese people say “me”, they point at their nose.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “自”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 自. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我自己去wǒzìjǐqùI’ll go by myself.
- 我骑自行车上班。wǒqízìxíngchēshàngbānI ride my bike to work.
- 你会骑自行车吗？nǐhuìqízìxíngchēmaCan you ride a bike?
- 我买了一辆新自行车wǒmǎileyíliàngxīnzìxíngchēI bought a new bike.
- 从明天起，我每天骑自行车上班。cóngmíngtiānqǐ,wǒměitiānqízìxíngchēshàngbānStarting tomorrow, I'll ride my bike to work every day.
- 你来自哪个国家nǐláizìnǎgeguójiāWhat country are you from?
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Overtime and business trips”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 自 mean?
自 (zì) means “from, since (lit.)”.
How do you write 自?
自 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 自?
自 is read zì. Tones: zì — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“from” in the lesson “Overtime and business trips”
This word is from the topic “Office and documents” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free