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

zhī to support, to sustain; to withdraw, to pay; a branch (of a bank) 4 strokes · Radical (to support) · 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 4
支 — 4 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 ten
bottom and

Radical

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

How the character is built

is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A hand 又 holding a branch 十 for support.

HSK 4 Words Containing 支

zhīchí to support
谢谢你一直支持我。
Xièxie nǐ yìzhí zhīchí wǒ.
Thank you for always supporting me.
zhīfù to pay (formal)
你可以用微信支付。
Nǐ kěyǐ yòng Wēixìn zhīfù.
You can pay with WeChat Pay.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 16 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

感谢持你的人,也要感谢反对你的人。
From Mock Exam 14 →
别人持也好,反对也好,那是别人的事情,不是我们能决定的。
From Mock Exam 12 →

Tasks Featuring 支 / 相关任务

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

📚 谈论教育现象、观念
Education Phenomena · 支持
📚 交流购物体验、商业活动内容
Shopping Experiences · 支付

FAQ

What does 支 mean in Chinese?

支 (zhī) means to support, to sustain; to withdraw, to pay; a branch (of a bank). It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 支 have?

支 is written in 4 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 支?

The radical of 支 is 支 (to support).

What is the pinyin for 支?

支 is pronounced zhī.

What HSK 4 words use 支?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 支 appears in 2 words, including 支持 (zhīchí), 支付 (zhīfù). See the full list above.

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