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

ěr you; that, those; final particle 5 strokes · Radical (small) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 尔 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 ěr.

Stroke Order & Practice

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

1 2 3 4 5
尔 — 5 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

=
top
bottom small

Radical

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

HSK 4 Words Containing 尔

ǒu'ěr occasionally; once in a while
我偶尔会去公园跑步。
Wǒ ǒu'ěr huì qù gōngyuán pǎobù.
I occasionally go running in the park.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 17 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

他们偶会去看电影。
From Mock Exam 10 →

Tasks Featuring 尔 / 相关任务

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

📚 谈论情感话题
Discuss Emotions · 偶尔

FAQ

What does 尔 mean in Chinese?

尔 (ěr) means you; that, those; final particle. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 尔 have?

尔 is written in 5 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 尔?

The radical of 尔 is 小 (small).

What is the pinyin for 尔?

尔 is pronounced ěr.

What HSK 4 words use 尔?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 尔 appears in 1 word, including 偶尔 (ǒu'ěr). See the full list above.

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