事 (shì) is a Chinese character meaning “a matter”. It is written from ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇚ (vertical stroke with hook), and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “matter; affair”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇐ + ㇑ + ㇕ + ㇐ + ㇕ + ㇐ + ㇐ + ㇚
Overlapping structure
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
- ㇕ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇕ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇚ vertical stroke with hook unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形笔画拆分：第 1、4、6、7 笔横，第 2 笔短竖，第 3、5 笔横折，第 8 笔竖钩）
Memory aid
One tall hook (㇚) is driven straight down through the whole character, and everything else is threaded onto it: four flat bars (㇐) stacked like lines on a to-do list, a short post (㇑) propping up the top one, and two bars that turn down at the right (㇕) to box the list in. That is a matter to deal with — items skewered on one running task.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 事件shì jiànevent; incident事 = shì
- 丧事sāng shìfuneral arrangements; a death in the family事 = shì
- 事项shì xiàngitem; matter (on a list)事 = shì
- 兹事体大zī shì tǐ dàthis is a matter of great importance事 = shì
- 叙事xù shìto narrate events; narrative事 = shì
- 惹事rě shìto cause trouble; to stir up trouble事 = shì
- 炊事chuī shìcooking; kitchen work事 = shì
- 董事dǒng shìdirector (of a board); board member事 = shì
- 董事长dǒng shì zhǎngchairman of the board事 = shì
Go deeper
All readings
matter; affair
a matter; an affair; a thing to be dealt with; work or a job
人做的或发生的事情；也指职业、工作。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 事件shì jiànevent; incident事 = shì
- 丧事sāng shìfuneral arrangements; a death in the family事 = shì
- 事项shì xiàngitem; matter (on a list)事 = shì
- 兹事体大zī shì tǐ dàthis is a matter of great importance事 = shì
- 叙事xù shìto narrate events; narrative事 = shì
- 惹事rě shìto cause trouble; to stir up trouble事 = shì
- 炊事chuī shìcooking; kitchen work事 = shì
- 董事dǒng shìdirector (of a board); board member事 = shì
- 董事长dǒng shì zhǎngchairman of the board事 = shì
Other characters with these parts
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 事 mean?
事 (shì) means a matter; an affair; a thing to be dealt with; work or a job.
How do you pronounce 事?
It is pronounced shì.
What parts is 事 made of?
㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇚ (vertical stroke with hook). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形笔画拆分：第 1、4、6、7 笔横，第 2 笔短竖，第 3、5 笔横折，第 8 笔竖钩）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 事 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 事?
亅. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 事?
Common ones are 事件 and 丧事. The reading of 事 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.