侄 (zhí) is a Chinese character meaning “brother's child”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 至 (to arrive; to reach), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “nephew”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 至
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰亻至，2+6=8 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源
Memory aid
A person (亻) who has arrived (至) in your family through your brother — your nephew. 至 also carries the sound: zhì → zhí.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 侄子zhí zinephew (brother's son)侄 = zhí
- 侄女zhí nǚniece (brother's daughter)侄 = zhí
Go deeper
All readings
nephew; niece
brother's child; nephew or niece (used in 侄子, 侄女)
兄弟的子女。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 侄子zhí zinephew (brother's son)侄 = zhí
- 侄女zhí nǚniece (brother's daughter)侄 = zhí
Sound component
至 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 侄 mean?
侄 (zhí) means brother's child; nephew or niece (used in 侄子, 侄女).
How do you pronounce 侄?
It is pronounced zhí.
What parts is 侄 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 至 (to arrive; to reach), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰亻至，2+6=8 画）；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 侄 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 侄?
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 侄?
Common ones are 侄子 and 侄女. The reading of 侄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.