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

zhēn needle, pin, tack; acupuncture 7 strokes · Radical (gold) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 针 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 zhēn.

Stroke Order & Practice

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
针 — 7 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

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

=
left gold
right ten

Radical

The radical of is — meaning gold. 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 an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A metal 钅 pin 十.

HSK 4 Words Containing 针

dǎzhēn to get an injection
小孩子都怕打针。
Xiǎo háizi dōu pà dǎzhēn.
Little kids are all afraid of getting injections.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 13 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

女儿不同意打
From Mock Exam 18 →

Tasks Featuring 针 / 相关任务

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

📚 谈论就医情况、健康生活
Health & Medical · 打针

FAQ

What does 针 mean in Chinese?

针 (zhēn) means needle, pin, tack; acupuncture. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 针 have?

针 is written in 7 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 针?

The radical of 针 is 钅 (gold). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 钢, 键, 镜, 钥.

What is the pinyin for 针?

针 is pronounced zhēn.

What HSK 4 words use 针?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 针 appears in 1 word, including 打针 (dǎzhēn). See the full list above.

zhé All Characters zhēng →