种
zhǒng
- Pinyin
- zhǒng
- Pinyin (Plain)
- zhong
- Tone
- 3
- Strokes
- 9
- Radical
- 禾
- Readings
- zhǒngzhongTone: 3seed; species; kind; type; classifier for types, kinds, sortsOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 305 651 Q 401 702 445 714 Q 461 715 465 724 Q 468 734 455 745 Q 433 760 388 773 Q 372 780 359 777 Q 352 773 352 762 Q 353 719 136 600 Q 132 590 138 588 Q 141 588 275 638 L 305 651 Z", "M 332 470 Q 369 480 415 490 Q 431 494 431 501 Q 431 514 413 521 Q 385 531 334 515 L 290 502 Q 155 468 106 459 Q 93 456 91 449 Q 90 439 105 428 Q 142 407 191 422 Q 231 440 267 450 L 332 470 Z", "M 330 379 Q 330 424 332 470 L 334 515 Q 337 578 343 607 Q 346 620 339 626 Q 320 642 305 651 C 280 668 264 666 275 638 Q 290 617 290 502 L 286 385 Q 286 262 264 141 Q 245 108 283 44 Q 295 23 304 17 Q 316 16 321 29 Q 334 62 331 93 Q 328 231 330 352 L 330 379 Z", "M 267 450 Q 221 333 71 140 Q 65 130 76 130 Q 82 129 90 137 Q 210 236 286 385 C 332 474 279 479 267 450 Z", "M 330 352 Q 334 348 343 342 Q 370 323 399 300 Q 409 291 422 293 Q 429 294 433 304 Q 436 316 427 338 Q 421 354 394 366 Q 337 382 330 379 C 303 376 308 372 330 352 Z", "M 504 522 Q 491 528 460 532 Q 448 536 445 530 Q 438 524 447 508 Q 477 447 495 346 Q 498 315 516 295 Q 534 273 539 289 Q 542 298 542 310 L 540 344 Q 528 389 516 486 C 512 516 512 519 504 522 Z", "M 852 386 Q 882 483 910 511 Q 931 533 902 551 Q 877 570 850 584 Q 835 596 773 573 Q 736 570 694 557 L 638 547 Q 611 543 585 536 Q 537 527 504 522 C 474 517 486 482 516 486 Q 525 486 536 489 Q 599 507 634 513 Q 635 514 638 513 L 693 522 Q 739 529 802 537 Q 815 538 819 532 Q 831 513 801 395 C 794 366 843 357 852 386 Z", "M 691 332 Q 763 344 863 352 Q 873 353 875 362 Q 875 369 852 386 L 801 395 Q 797 395 794 394 Q 740 382 691 370 L 638 360 Q 586 351 540 344 C 510 339 512 311 542 310 Q 551 309 562 311 Q 593 318 638 325 L 691 332 Z", "M 638 325 Q 634 -6 652 -36 Q 667 -52 676 -30 Q 692 12 691 332 L 691 370 Q 691 455 693 522 L 694 557 Q 695 714 717 749 Q 724 765 704 780 Q 679 799 636 811 Q 617 815 604 802 Q 594 793 606 781 Q 634 757 637 723 Q 638 656 638 547 L 638 513 Q 639 458 639 393 Q 638 377 638 360 L 638 325 Z"]
- Meaning
- “种” most commonly means “kind; type” (as in 一种动物 “a kind of animal”) and also “seed” or “to plant” (as in 种子 “seed,” 种树 “to plant trees”). In extended use, it can refer generally to “race” or “ethnic group” (as in 人种 “race”).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/23/2026, 9:39:16 PM
Usage
The character 种 is most commonly seen as a noun or measure word meaning “kind, type, sort” (e.g., 这种 zhè zhǒng “this kind,” 各种 gè zhǒng “all kinds of”). In these uses it’s pronounced zhǒng. Learners meet it very early in set phrases like 一种动物 “a kind of animal” or 什么种人 “what kind of person,” and it appears constantly in everyday speech and writing. It’s also in abstract expressions such as 一种感觉 “a kind of feeling” or 那种情况 “that kind of situation.” Pronounced zhòng, 种 is used as a verb and noun related to planting and breeding: 种树 “to plant trees,” 种菜 “to grow vegetables,” 种子 “seed.” In this sense it’s directly connected to agriculture and biology, and is common in basic vocabulary about farming, gardening, or raising animals and plants. In modern Chinese, both readings and meanings are frequent, and learners quickly get used to distinguishing them by context and word combinations.
Handwriting Notes
种 is visually composed of the “grain/plant” component 禾 on the left and the “middle” component 中 on the right, forming a tall, slightly rectangular shape divided vertically. In ordinary handwriting, the left side 禾 is often written more compactly than in print: the top “hook-like” part leans slightly right, and the slanting stroke downward may be more curved or straight depending on the writer’s style. The right side 中 is usually narrower and a bit taller than in the printed form, with the inner vertical line sometimes not perfectly centered, and the enclosing box may open very slightly at the bottom or be more rounded at the corners. Overall, the character keeps a clear left–right structure, with 禾 taking a bit less than half the width and 中 a bit more, balancing the shape. Handwritten forms of 种 can vary in how tightly the strokes are packed, how angular or rounded the corners are, and how much the slant of the 禾 component tilts. In quick writing, strokes may merge slightly, especially in the 禾 part, and 中 can look quite simplified, with the vertical line not fully touching the top or bottom. Despite these variations, the basic pattern of “plant on the left, middle/box on the right” remains recognizable. AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle these stylistic differences, learning to recognize 种 even when stroke shapes, proportions, and connections differ from the printed standard.
Description
种 is a common character meaning “seed,” “type/kind,” or “to plant.” It is used in words like 种子 (zhǒngzǐ, seed) and 种类 (zhǒnglèi, category), and as a verb in 种田 (zhòngtián, to farm). It has two main pronunciations: zhǒng (noun: type, seed) and zhòng (verb: to plant).
Common Words
- 种zhong3seed
- 种子zhong3 zi5seed
- 种禽zhong3 qin2cock
- 种类zhong3 lei4kind
- 品种pin3 zhong3breed
Example Sentences
我喜欢种。
wo3 xi3 huan5 zhong3
I like seed.
种子很常见。
zhong3 zi5 hen3 chang2 jian4
种子 is very common.
我们在学习种禽。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 zhong3 qin2
We are learning cock.
这个种类很重要。
zhe4 ge5 zhong3 lei4 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This kind is important.
请写一下“种”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 zhong3
Please write '种'.