这

zhè

Pinyin
zhè
Pinyin (Plain)
zhe
Tone
4
Strokes
7
Radical
辵
Readings
zhèzheTone: 4(pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing)Order: 0Primary
zhei4zheiTone: 4(coll.) thisOrder: 1
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 549 780 Q 633 696 665 698 Q 681 698 688 721 Q 688 737 674 762 Q 658 784 625 793 Q 573 812 551 814 Q 539 815 540 801 Q 539 791 549 780 Z", "M 712 590 Q 740 602 846 617 Q 856 616 866 631 Q 867 644 841 654 Q 807 675 733 648 Q 526 597 455 584 Q 424 578 449 560 Q 485 536 526 546 Q 587 564 666 581 L 712 590 Z", "M 664 357 Q 677 379 722 486 Q 731 514 747 536 Q 759 552 744 564 Q 729 579 712 590 C 688 607 659 610 666 581 Q 685 527 630 403 Q 627 400 626 395 Q 623 391 619 384 L 596 348 Q 535 273 430 224 Q 417 217 428 212 Q 441 209 478 217 Q 526 230 564 255 Q 607 280 633 313 Q 633 314 634 315 L 664 357 Z", "M 634 315 Q 706 252 763 187 Q 776 168 792 159 Q 804 153 815 171 Q 822 187 817 218 Q 814 263 664 357 L 619 384 Q 496 465 481 461 Q 475 460 475 447 Q 476 438 493 427 Q 547 388 596 348 L 634 315 Z", "M 269 726 Q 296 701 325 669 Q 340 653 358 654 Q 370 654 376 669 Q 383 685 374 720 Q 365 753 265 781 Q 247 785 240 783 Q 234 779 235 764 Q 239 751 269 726 Z", "M 330 197 Q 339 206 344 218 Q 356 258 312 329 Q 282 381 349 472 Q 355 481 362 488 Q 384 506 364 522 Q 345 538 309 552 Q 287 565 269 547 Q 235 525 192 509 Q 134 487 116 490 Q 109 490 106 485 Q 105 481 113 476 Q 155 455 259 494 Q 269 497 278 485 Q 300 463 278 432 Q 230 378 271 316 Q 304 258 303 226 Q 303 210 299 199 C 293 170 312 173 330 197 Z", "M 299 199 Q 256 202 212 187 Q 172 171 111 165 Q 104 165 101 157 Q 98 150 107 140 Q 123 121 148 109 Q 160 103 178 117 Q 254 171 328 157 Q 392 144 519 86 Q 741 -17 820 10 Q 883 32 936 69 Q 958 85 935 84 Q 713 84 593 114 Q 508 138 401 178 Q 365 193 330 197 L 299 199 Z"]
Meaning
“这” is a demonstrative word meaning “this” or “these,” used to point to something that is close to the speaker in distance, time, or context (e.g., 这个 = “this one,” 这儿 = “here”). It can also appear in set phrases like “这样” (like this/in this way) and “这次” (this time).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:17:57 PM

Usage

“这” (zhè) is one of the first and most common characters learners meet. Its core meaning is “this,” referring to something close to the speaker in space, time, or context. You usually see it in phrases like 这个 (this one/this thing), 这里 (here), 这儿 (here), 这次 (this time), and 这样 (like this/in this way). In everyday speech, 这 can stand on its own in questions like 这是什么？(What is this?) or statements like 这是我的。 (This is mine.) It often contrasts with 那 (nà, “that”), as in 这个还是那个？(This one or that one?). Learners also notice that 这 appears in many set expressions that point to the current situation or topic. Examples include 这几天 (these past/few days), 这些人 (these people), 这种 (this kind/type), and 这儿/这边 (here/this side/this area). In spoken Mandarin, it can sometimes be pronounced “zhèi” in common combinations like 这个 (often “zhège/zhèi ge”), though it’s written the same way. Overall, “这” works as a demonstrative word that anchors what you’re talking about to something “near” you—physically, in time, or in the conversation.

Handwriting Notes

这 in handwriting usually looks more compact and flowing than in printed fonts. Learners can think of it as having two main parts: a small “path/movement” element on the left (辶) and a more solid block on the right (文-like component). In quick writing, the left part often becomes a smooth, curved “walking” trail, with the dots and hook simplified into one or two connected strokes, while the right part tends to narrow slightly and may lose some of its sharp corners, becoming more rounded or angular depending on the writer’s style. Different people connect or separate parts of the left component, compress the whole character vertically, or tilt it a bit, but it should still feel like a left-moving “path” wrapping around a compact right-hand center. Because these handwritten forms can vary so much—especially in speed writing—AI handwriting recognition systems are commonly used to recognize characters like 这. These systems are trained to handle a wide range of stroke shapes, proportions, and levels of simplification so that even slightly messy or stylized versions of 这 can be correctly identified.

Description

这 is a common demonstrative pronoun in modern Chinese, usually meaning “this” or “this one” (referring to something near the speaker). It is often used before nouns (e.g., 这个人 “this person”) or on its own to point to something just mentioned or immediately present.

Common Words

  • 这zhei4(coll.) this
  • 这咱zhe4 zan2now
  • 这儿zhe4 r5here
  • 这里zhe4 li3here
  • 这些zhe4 xie1these

Example Sentences

我喜欢这。

wo3 xi3 huan5 zhei4

I like (coll.) this.

这咱很常见。

zhe4 zan2 hen3 chang2 jian4

这咱 is very common.

我们在学习这儿。

wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 zhe4 r5

We are learning here.

这个这里很重要。

zhe4 ge5 zhe4 li3 hen3 zhong4 yao4

This here is important.

请写一下“这”。

qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 zhei4

Please write '这'.

Try writing this character