休 (xiū) is a Chinese character meaning “to rest”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 木 (tree; wood), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to rest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 木
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：休，息止也。从人依木
Memory aid
A person (亻, the left-side form of 人) leaning against a tree (木). Stop walking, lean on the trunk — rest. Note the person: written on the left, 人 becomes 亻. Same building block, different shape.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 休息xiū xito rest; to take a break休 = xiūHSK 2
Go deeper
All readings
to rest
to rest; to stop; to cease
歇息；停止。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 休息xiū xito rest; to take a break休 = xiūHSK 2
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 休 mean?
休 (xiū) means to rest; to stop; to cease.
How do you pronounce 休?
It is pronounced xiū.
What parts is 休 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 木 (tree; wood), side by side. This breakdown was checked by a human (source: 说文解字：休，息止也。从人依木). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 休 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 休?
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 休?
Common ones are 休息. The reading of 休 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.