债 (zhài) is a Chinese character meaning “debt”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 责 (duty; responsibility; to blame), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “debt”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 责
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：2 笔亻 + 8 笔责 = 10 笔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing next to 责, "duty" — a debt is the duty one person owes to another. 责 also nudges the sound: 责 zé, 债 zhài.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 欠债qiàn zhàito be in debt; to owe money债 = zhài
- 债务zhài wùdebt; liabilities债 = zhài
- 债券zhài quànbond (financial security)债 = zhài
Go deeper
All readings
debt
debt; money or a favour owed to someone
欠别人的钱财；也指欠下的人情等。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 欠债qiàn zhàito be in debt; to owe money债 = zhài
- 债务zhài wùdebt; liabilities债 = zhài
- 债券zhài quànbond (financial security)债 = zhài
Sound component
责 family
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 债 mean?
债 (zhài) means debt; money or a favour owed to someone.
How do you pronounce 债?
It is pronounced zhài.
What parts is 债 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 责 (duty; responsibility; to blame), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：2 笔亻 + 8 笔责 = 10 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 债 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 债?
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 债?
Common ones are 欠债 and 债务. The reading of 债 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.