How to write 性 (xìng) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

xìng sex, nature, character; suffix converting a verb to an adjective 8 strokes · Radical 忄 (heart) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced xìng.

Stroke Order & Practice

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
性 — 8 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

性 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

性 =
忄 left heart
生 right life

Radical

The radical of 性 is 忄 — meaning heart. 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: 怀悔惊懒恼惜忆愉.

How the character is built

性 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 忄 (heart) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 生 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 性

男性 nánxìng male; man (formal)
这款手表适合男性佩戴。
Zhè kuǎn shǒubiǎo shìhé nánxìng pèidài.
This watch is suitable for men to wear.
女性 nǚxìng female; woman (formal)
越来越多的女性成为企业家。
Yuèláiyuè duō de nǚxìng chéngwéi qǐyèjiā.
More and more women are becoming entrepreneurs.
性 xìng (suffix: -ness, -ity)
这个问题具有普遍性。
Zhège wèntí jùyǒu pǔbiàn xìng.
This issue is universal in nature.
性别 xìngbié gender; sex
表格上需要填写性别。
Biǎogé shàng xūyào tiánxiě xìngbié.
You need to fill in your gender on the form.
性格 xìnggé personality; character; nature
她的性格很开朗。
Tā de xìnggé hěn kāilǎng.
She has an outgoing personality.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

性 appears in 32 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

姐妹俩性格差不多。
From Mock Exam 18 →
人们的性格各不相同。
From Mock Exam 14 →
长期这样，会影响脾气甚至性格。
From Mock Exam 11 →

Tasks Featuring 性 / 相关任务

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

📚 谈论某个人物
Describe a Person · 男性、女性、性别

FAQ

What does 性 mean in Chinese?

性 (xìng) means sex, nature, character; suffix converting a verb to an adjective. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 性 have?

性 is written in 8 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 性?

The radical of 性 is 忄 (heart). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 怀, 悔, 惊, 懒, 恼.

What is the pinyin for 性?

性 is pronounced xìng.

What HSK 4 words use 性?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 性 appears in 5 words, including 男性 (nánxìng), 女性 (nǚxìng), 性 (xìng), 性别 (xìngbié). See the full list above.

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