存 (cún) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

cún to exist; to survive, to maintain; to keep, to store; to deposit 6 strokes · Radical 子 (son) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 存 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced cún.

to exist
to survive
to maintain
to keep
to store
to deposit

Stroke Order & Practice

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

存 — 6 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

存 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Upper-left envelops Inner. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

存 =

才 outer ability

子 inner son

Radical

The radical of 存 is 子 — meaning son. 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: 孙.

How the character is built

存 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 子 (seed) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 才 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 存

存 cún to save; to store; to deposit

你可以把行李存在这里。

Nǐ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ.

You can store your luggage here.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

存 appears in 3 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

这种能力对它们的生存非常重要。

From Mock Exam 07 →

Tasks Featuring 存 / 相关任务

Words containing 存 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 交流购物体验、商业活动内容

Shopping Experiences · 存

FAQ

What does 存 mean in Chinese?

存 (cún) means to exist; to survive, to maintain; to keep, to store; to deposit. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 存 have?

存 is written in 6 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 存?

The radical of 存 is 子 (son). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 孙.

What is the pinyin for 存?

存 is pronounced cún.

What HSK 4 words use 存?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 存 appears in 1 word, including 存 (cún). See the full list above.