How to write 之 (zhī) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

zhī marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to 3 strokes · Radical 丿 (slash) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced zhī.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3
之 — 3 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

之 breaks down into 1 component arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

之 =
丶 top dot

Radical

The radical of 之 is 丿 — meaning slash. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 乘乓乒.

How the character is built

之 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A foot meaning "to follow"; cursive version of 止.

HSK 4 Words Containing 之

之1 zhī (literary possessive /linking particle)
这是最好的方法之一。
Zhè shì zuì hǎo de fāngfǎ zhī yī.
This is one of the best methods.
之后 zhīhòu after; afterwards; following
下课之后我们去吃饭。
Xiàkè zhīhòu wǒmen qù chīfàn.
Let's go eat after class.
之间 zhījiān between; among
北京和上海之间有高铁。
Běijīng hé Shànghǎi zhījiān yǒu gāotiě.
There is high-speed rail between Beijing and Shanghai.
之前 zhīqián before; prior to; ago
出发之前要检查一下行李。
Chūfā zhīqián yào jiǎnchá yíxià xíngli.
Check your luggage before departure.
之中 zhīzhōng among; in the middle of
他在候选人之中排名第一。
Tā zài hòuxuǎnrén zhīzhōng páimíng dì yī.
He ranks first among the candidates.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

之 appears in 35 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

所以，做决定之前最好仔细考虑一下。
From Mock Exam 19 →
家人之间如果经常交流，一定会生活得很幸福。
From Mock Exam 10 →
交流能减少人与人之间的误会，使感情逐渐加深。
From Mock Exam 11 →

FAQ

What does 之 mean in Chinese?

之 (zhī) means marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 之 have?

之 is written in 3 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 之?

The radical of 之 is 丿 (slash). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 乘, 乓, 乒.

What is the pinyin for 之?

之 is pronounced zhī.

What HSK 4 words use 之?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 之 appears in 5 words, including 之1 (zhī), 之后 (zhīhòu), 之间 (zhījiān), 之前 (zhīqián). See the full list above.

← 台 tái All Characters 烦 fán →