子

zǐ

Pinyin
zǐ
Pinyin (Plain)
zi
Tone
3
Strokes
3
Radical
子
Readings
zǐziTone: 3son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]; ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north); subsidiary; subordinate; (prefix) sub-Order: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 544 561 Q 575 580 648 638 Q 679 666 700 671 Q 737 683 739 698 Q 740 708 705 746 Q 672 782 661 780 Q 657 783 644 778 Q 575 748 344 719 Q 323 720 309 722 Q 290 726 283 715 Q 280 708 288 697 Q 298 684 322 666 Q 343 650 354 650 Q 364 649 384 662 Q 420 690 607 732 Q 632 738 637 735 Q 643 731 642 723 Q 642 714 543 589 Q 534 580 529 573 C 509 550 519 545 544 561 Z", "M 529 573 Q 505 588 486 592 Q 474 596 466 591 Q 462 587 474 574 Q 495 544 508 451 L 513 407 Q 541 169 492 90 Q 489 83 482 81 Q 467 77 356 100 Q 349 100 346 97 Q 345 93 354 85 Q 429 30 470 -13 Q 483 -26 492 -24 Q 505 -23 527 -1 Q 575 44 576 136 Q 583 239 562 411 L 557 457 Q 551 505 549 542 Q 549 554 544 561 L 529 573 Z", "M 508 451 Q 499 452 299 429 Q 227 419 121 418 Q 108 418 106 406 Q 105 393 124 378 Q 142 365 174 353 Q 186 349 204 357 Q 222 363 297 375 Q 393 397 513 407 L 562 411 Q 769 430 888 417 Q 937 417 940 418 Q 940 421 942 421 Q 949 434 937 447 Q 864 513 800 491 Q 739 479 675 469 Q 605 463 557 457 L 508 451 Z"]
Meaning
“子” most commonly means “child” or “son,” and by extension can refer to a person or offspring in general. It is also widely used as a suffix in many nouns (like in 桌子 “table,” 椅子 “chair”) where it often doesn’t change the core meaning but helps form a standard word.
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 12:29:29 AM

Usage

The character 子 (zǐ) is most commonly learned early on as a basic noun meaning “child” or “son,” and as a standalone word it often appears in words like 孩子 (háizi, child) and 小孩子 (xiǎo háizi, little kid). It also carries the sense of “offspring” or “young” in some contexts, which is why it appears in characters or words related to children or youth. Learners also soon meet it in polite or historical titles for respected teachers or thinkers, such as 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Confucius) and 孟子 (Mèngzǐ, Mencius), where 子 is roughly like “Master.” Beyond its meaning as “child,” 子 is extremely common as a suffix or component in many everyday words. Often it doesn’t add a strong independent meaning but helps form a natural-sounding noun, as in 桌子 (zhuōzi, table), 椅子 (yǐzi, chair), 裙子 (qúnzi, skirt), 饺子 (jiǎozi, dumpling), and 包子 (bāozi, steamed bun). In these cases, learners usually treat 子 like part of the fixed word rather than something to interpret literally. As a building block, 子 is also a basic character that appears frequently in compound characters and vocabulary, so it becomes a familiar visual and phonetic component early in study.

Handwriting Notes

子 is usually written as a compact, slightly taller-than-wide shape, with a short horizontal stroke at the top, a downward vertical line that curves gently or hooks near the bottom, and two shorter strokes crossing or attached near the lower half. In ordinary handwriting, the lines are often more curved and flowing than in printed fonts: the top horizontal may tilt slightly, the vertical can lean a bit, and the lower strokes can be joined more loosely, sometimes looking almost like a small loop with a cross in it. Writers may vary how sharply they hook the bottom of the vertical, how long or angled the side strokes are, and how tightly everything is compressed, but it still keeps a recognizable “top line + vertical + lower crossing strokes” structure. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to recognize this character despite such variations, learning to identify its key structural features and overall proportions even when people write quickly, sloppily, or in different personal styles.

Description

子 is a common Chinese character meaning “child” or “son,” and by extension can refer to offspring or a person in general. It is also used as a respectful suffix after a name or title in classical Chinese (e.g., 孔子 Kǒngzǐ, “Master Kong/Confucius”).

Common Words

  • 孩子háizichild; children
  • 儿子érzison
  • 桌子zhuōzitable; desk
  • 椅子yǐzichair
  • 帽子màozihat; cap
  • 裙子qúnziskirt; dress
  • 儿子érzison
  • 包子bāozisteamed stuffed bun
  • 筷子kuàizichopsticks
  • 房子fángzihouse; building
  • 盒子hézibox
  • 杯子bēizicup; glass
  • 儿子érzison
  • 饺子jiǎozidumpling
  • 盘子pánziplate; dish
  • 瓶子píngzibottle
  • 日子rìziday; life (daily living)
  • 帽子màozihat; cap
  • 例子lìziexample
  • 影子yǐngzishadow
  • 筐子kuāngzibasket
  • 鞋子xiézishoes
  • 孙子sūnzigrandson (son's son)
  • 帽子màozihat; cap
  • 袜子wàzisocks; stockings
  • 镜子jìngzimirror
  • 瓜子guāzǐmelon seeds; sunflower seeds
  • 肚子dùzibelly; stomach
  • 鼻子bízinose
  • 帽子màozihat; cap
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