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

skin, hide, fur, feathers 5 strokes · Radical (skin) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 皮 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 .

Stroke Order & Practice

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

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

Decomposition

breaks down into 1 component arranged as Upper-left envelops Inner. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

=
outer to rap

Radical

The radical of is — meaning skin. 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 a pictograph — a stylized image of the thing it names. It originally depicted A hand using a tool 攴 to strip the hide from a carcass.

HSK 4 Words Containing 皮

pífū skin
她的皮肤很白。
Tā de pífū hěn bái.
Her skin is very fair.
píxié leather shoes
面试的时候要穿皮鞋。
Miànshì de shíhou yào chuān píxié.
You should wear leather shoes for the interview.

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:

但是公司开会的时候,他一定会换上很正式的西服,鞋也擦得亮亮的。
From Mock Exam 10 →
他们把香蕉放哪儿了?
From Mock Exam 10 →

Tasks Featuring 皮 / 相关任务

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

📚 谈论某个人物
Describe a Person · 皮肤
📚 交流居住情况、社区情况
Housing & Community · 皮鞋

FAQ

What does 皮 mean in Chinese?

皮 (pí) means skin, hide, fur, feathers. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 皮 have?

皮 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 皮?

The radical of 皮 is 皮 (skin).

What is the pinyin for 皮?

皮 is pronounced pí.

What HSK 4 words use 皮?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 皮 appears in 2 words, including 皮肤 (pífū), 皮鞋 (píxié). See the full list above.

All Characters pí →