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

zé one's responsibility, duty 8 strokes · Radical 贝 (sea shell) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 责 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 zé.

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
责 — 8 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

责 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

责 =
龶 top
贝 bottom sea shell

Radical

The radical of 责 is 贝 — meaning sea shell. 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: 资败费负购贺货赢账赚.

How the character is built

责 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. Money 贝 that must be repaid.

HSK 4 Words Containing 责

负责 fùzé to be responsible; responsible
他负责公司的市场工作。
Tā fùzé gōngsī de shìchǎng gōngzuò.
He is responsible for the company's marketing.
负责人 fùzérén person in charge; head; director
请问谁是这个项目的负责人？
Qǐngwèn shéi shì zhège xiàngmù de fùzérén?
May I ask who is the person in charge of this project?
责任 zérèn responsibility; duty
保护环境是每个人的责任。
Bǎohù huánjìng shì měi gè rén de zérèn.
Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

责 appears in 26 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

没能力的人没有责任心。
From Mock Exam 05 →
这时，我们最需要的就是耐心和责任心，还有一个愉快的心情。
From Mock Exam 08 →
有时候，拒绝并不代表不愿意帮忙，而是表示对事情或任务负责。
From Mock Exam 09 →

Tasks Featuring 责 / 相关任务

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

📚 介绍职业经历与单位情况
Career & Company · 责任
📚 交流、处理日常事务
Handle Daily Affairs · 负责人
📚 谈论工作情况与表现
Work & Performance · 负责

FAQ

What does 责 mean in Chinese?

责 (zé) means one's responsibility, duty. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 责 have?

责 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 责?

The radical of 责 is 贝 (sea shell). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 资, 败, 费, 负, 购.

What is the pinyin for 责?

责 is pronounced zé.

What HSK 4 words use 责?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 责 appears in 3 words, including 负责 (fùzé), 负责人 (fùzérén), 责任 (zérèn). See the full list above.

← 则 zé All Characters 账 zhàng →