任 (rèn) is a Chinese character meaning “a duty or post one is given”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 壬 (ninth heavenly stem), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “a duty you are given”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 壬
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 任，符也。从人壬聲
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing next to 壬 — which also hands you the sound: 壬 rén, 任 rèn. The person takes it on: that is the job you are given.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 任务rèn wùtask; mission; assignment任 = rèn
- 责任zé rènresponsibility; duty任 = rèn
- 任何rèn héany; whatever任 = rèn
Go deeper
All readings
duty; to appoint
a duty or post one is given; to appoint someone to a post; to bear or take on
担当、承受；也指委派职务，或指所担任的职务。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 任务rèn wùtask; mission; assignment任 = rèn
- 责任zé rènresponsibility; duty任 = rèn
- 任何rèn héany; whatever任 = rèn
Rare readings, not taught: rén
Sound component
壬 family tone diff
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 任 mean?
任 (rèn) means a duty or post one is given; to appoint someone to a post; to bear or take on.
How do you pronounce 任?
It is pronounced rèn.
What parts is 任 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 壬 (ninth heavenly stem), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 任，符也。从人壬聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 任 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 任?
人. 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 任?
Common ones are 任务 and 责任. The reading of 任 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.