民

mín

Pinyin
mín
Pinyin (Plain)
min
Tone
2
Strokes
5
Radical
氏
Readings
mínminTone: 2surname MinOrder: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 628 625 Q 661 703 695 721 Q 714 742 698 762 Q 680 777 623 806 Q 604 815 579 806 Q 470 758 283 725 C 253 720 273 681 302 690 Q 306 691 314 694 Q 435 721 551 748 Q 581 757 593 744 Q 602 735 598 717 Q 586 672 573 634 C 564 606 616 598 628 625 Z", "M 509 572 Q 566 582 639 589 Q 651 590 652 601 Q 652 608 628 625 L 573 634 Q 567 634 564 632 Q 414 592 293 574 C 263 569 264 549 293 541 Q 305 535 326 539 Q 375 552 456 564 L 509 572 Z", "M 283 725 Q 261 744 242 753 Q 220 762 210 755 Q 198 748 208 730 Q 268 604 223 214 Q 219 157 171 101 Q 158 83 165 57 Q 177 26 191 12 Q 206 2 221 21 Q 243 57 439 197 Q 461 210 468 221 Q 472 231 461 233 Q 443 233 294 158 Q 276 151 276 167 Q 294 375 293 541 L 293 574 Q 293 580 293 585 Q 292 640 301 686 Q 301 689 302 690 C 305 708 305 708 283 725 Z", "M 582 391 Q 631 406 687 420 Q 745 436 752 445 Q 762 455 756 463 Q 747 476 716 482 Q 683 486 652 472 Q 610 456 568 439 L 521 423 Q 517 423 516 422 Q 437 400 344 385 Q 305 376 335 359 Q 378 335 440 354 Q 488 367 538 379 L 582 391 Z", "M 538 379 Q 616 193 752 69 Q 797 30 851 1 Q 914 -30 950 -32 Q 978 -28 969 8 Q 956 42 945 203 Q 944 216 938 217 Q 932 217 930 203 Q 918 164 909 126 Q 896 77 879 76 Q 857 75 807 108 Q 755 141 706 198 Q 621 294 582 391 L 568 439 Q 556 488 562 527 Q 565 549 520 568 Q 514 571 509 572 C 481 584 438 588 456 564 Q 457 561 459 556 Q 487 531 501 481 Q 510 451 521 423 L 538 379 Z"]
Meaning
The Chinese character “民” mainly means “the people” or “citizens,” especially as members of a country or society (as in “人民” = the people). It can also refer more generally to ordinary people or civilians, in contrast to officials or the government.
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:17:56 PM

Usage

The character **民 (mín)** basically means *people* or *the common people*, and learners most often meet it inside compound words. It shows up in very common terms like **人民 (rénmín, “the people”)**, **国民 (guómín, “citizens; nationals”)**, **农民 (nóngmín, “peasants; farmers”)**, **市民 (shìmín, “urban residents; citizens”)**, and **公民 (gōngmín, “citizen (with legal rights)”)**. In these words it highlights a group of ordinary people, usually in relation to the state, a place, or a social role. You will also see it in words about “the public” or “civil” matters, such as **民众 (mínzhòng, “the masses; the public”)** and **民间 (mínjiān, “among the people; folk; non‑official”)**. Learners also encounter 民 in political and historical vocabulary. A key example is **民主 (mínzhǔ, “democracy; democratic”)**, plus related words like **民主国家 (democratic country)** or **民权 (mínquán, “civil rights; people’s rights”)**. It appears in names of political entities and parties, for instance **中华民国 (Republic of China)** and **国民党 (Kuomintang; Nationalist Party)**. While 民 can stand alone as a formal or literary word meaning “the people,” in modern learning materials it is far more commonly seen as part of these frequent compounds that talk about citizens, the public, and civil society.

Handwriting Notes

「民」 in handwriting is a compact, slightly rectangular character that usually feels wider than it is tall. Visually, it can be understood as a “box” at the top (similar to a flattened 「口」) with a curved, hook-like component at the bottom right. The top horizontal stroke often extends farther to the right than the lower horizontal, and the inner diagonal/curved stroke that “cuts” into the shape helps distinguish it from simpler box-like characters. In neat handwriting, the inner stroke and the final hook are clearly separated, making the overall structure look like a closed shape that has been opened or cut on the lower right. Handwritten forms vary in how rounded or angular the lower part is. Some writers curve the inner stroke smoothly, others make it more like a sharp corner; the final hook can be long and obvious or just a subtle flick. The top box can be more square or slightly slanted, and in fast writing the interior details may be compressed so the whole character looks more like a single flowing shape. Despite these variations, the key visual cues remain the “box + internal cut + right-side hook” combination. AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle these style differences, learning to identify the character 「民」 from many examples of both neat and cursive handwriting, so that it can be recognized even when written quickly or less clearly.

Description

民 is a common Chinese character meaning “people,” “the populace,” or “citizens,” often contrasted with rulers or officials. It appears in many words related to the public or civilians, such as 人民 (the people) and 公民 (citizen).

Common Words

  • 人民rénmínthe people; citizens
  • 公民gōngmíncitizen
  • 农民nóngmínfarmer; peasant
  • 居民jūmínresident; inhabitant
  • 国民guómínnationals; the people of a country
  • 市民shìmínurban resident; citizen
  • 民族mínzúethnic group; nationality
  • 民间mínjiānamong the people; folk; non-governmental
  • 平民píngmíncommoner; civilian
  • 难民nànmínrefugee
  • 移民yímínimmigrant; to migrate
  • 民主mínzhǔdemocracy; democratic
  • 文明wénmíngcivilization; civilized
  • 民众mínzhòngthe masses; the public
  • 民工míngōngmigrant worker; manual laborer
  • 民生mínshēngpeople’s livelihood
  • 民俗mínsúfolk customs; folkways
  • 民意mínyìpublic opinion; popular will
  • 民法mínfǎcivil law
  • 民歌míngēfolk song
Try writing this character