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

zhǐ to stop, to halt; to detain; to desist 4 strokes · Radical (to stop) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced zhǐ.

Stroke Order & Practice

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

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

Decomposition

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

=
back above
front number one

Radical

The radical of is — meaning to stop. 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: .

How the character is built

is a pictograph — a stylized image of the thing it names. It originally depicted A foot.

HSK 4 Words Containing 止

jìnzhǐ to prohibit; to ban
博物馆里禁止拍照。
Bówùguǎn lǐ jìnzhǐ pāizhào.
Photography is prohibited in the museum.
tíngzhǐ to stop; to cease
雨已经停止了。
Yǔ yǐjīng tíngzhǐ le.
The rain has already stopped.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 25 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

先生,对不起,我们宾馆有规定,这里禁抽烟。
From Mock Exam 09 →

Tasks Featuring 止 / 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 · 禁止

FAQ

What does 止 mean in Chinese?

止 (zhǐ) means to stop, to halt; to detain; to desist. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 止 have?

止 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 止?

The radical of 止 is 止 (to stop). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 此.

What is the pinyin for 止?

止 is pronounced zhǐ.

What HSK 4 words use 止?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 止 appears in 2 words, including 禁止 (jìnzhǐ), 停止 (tíngzhǐ). See the full list above.

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