字zì

字

Hover to feel · click to explore

Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Modern simplified form (簡體). 字 (zì, "character, word") appears unchanged from traditional — composed of the roof radical (宀) sheltering a child (子), literally depicting birth under a roof, a meaning that evolved to mean the written characters themselves, the offspring of language.

← → navigate · swipe on mobile

Shuowen

字. The character combines 宀, a roof or shelter, with 子, a child, depicting a young offspring protected beneath a dwelling; this composition captures the original meaning of bearing and raising children, the nurturing of offspring within the home.

Pinyin

zì· HSK 1

字zì

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin