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

mín citizens, subjects; a nation's people 5 strokes · Radical 民 (citizens) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced mín.

Stroke Order & Practice

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

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

Decomposition

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

民 =
巳 back the hours from 9 to 11
戈 front spear

Radical

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

How the character is built

民 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. An eye 巳 pierced by a dagger 戈, an old mark of slavery.

HSK 4 Words Containing 民

民族 mínzú ethnic group; nationality
中国有五十六个民族。
Zhōngguó yǒu wǔshíliù gè mínzú.
China has 56 ethnic groups.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

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

他熟悉当地民族情况。
From Mock Exam 08 →
语言不但是人们交流和表达的工具，而且是民族文化不可缺少的部分。
From Mock Exam 13 →

Tasks Featuring 民 / 相关任务

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

📚 介绍中国的主要省市、民族
China Overview · 民族

FAQ

What does 民 mean in Chinese?

民 (mín) means citizens, subjects; a nation's people. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 民 have?

民 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 民?

The radical of 民 is 民 (citizens).

What is the pinyin for 民?

民 is pronounced mín.

What HSK 4 words use 民?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 民 appears in 1 word, including 民族 (mínzú). See the full list above.

← 挂 guà All Characters 痛 tòng →