伸 (shēn) is a Chinese character meaning “to stretch out”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 申 (a boxed 日 with one vertical stroke driven straight through it; used as the sound part in 伸 / 神), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to stretch out”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 申
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 申 a boxed 日 with one vertical stroke driven straight through it; used as the sound part in 伸 / 神 · shēn sound
Structure from: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰亻申，2+5=7 画；右侧读音与 申 shēn 完全一致，故记为声符）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源
Memory aid
A person 亻 standing next to 申 — a box with one long vertical stroke pushed all the way through, top to bottom. 申 is also the sound: 申 is shēn and 伸 is shēn, the same syllable and tone. A person pushing a line out to full length is stretching.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 伸手shēn shǒuto stretch out one's hand; to reach out伸 = shēn
- 延伸yán shēnto extend; to stretch out (of a road, line or idea)伸 = shēn
Go deeper
All readings
to stretch out
to stretch out; to extend; to straighten something that was bent
把弯着的东西展开、拉长；向外伸展。 — studyhanzi 编写（现代常用义，未追溯古义）
Words with this reading
- 伸手shēn shǒuto stretch out one's hand; to reach out伸 = shēn
- 延伸yán shēnto extend; to stretch out (of a road, line or idea)伸 = shēn
Sound component
申 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 伸 mean?
伸 (shēn) means to stretch out; to extend; to straighten something that was bent.
How do you pronounce 伸?
It is pronounced shēn.
What parts is 伸 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 申 (a boxed 日 with one vertical stroke driven straight through it; used as the sound part in 伸 / 神), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰亻申，2+5=7 画；右侧读音与 申 shēn 完全一致，故记为声符）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 伸 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 伸?
亻. 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 伸?
Common ones are 伸手 and 延伸. The reading of 伸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.