值 (zhí) is a Chinese character meaning “value”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 直 (straight; upright), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “value; worth”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 直
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 值，措也。从人直聲
Memory aid
A person (亻) looks straight (直) at the price tag: is it worth it? 直 also gives the sound zhí.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 价值jià zhívalue; worth值 = zhí
- 值得zhí déto be worth; to deserve值 = zhí
- 贬值biǎn zhíto depreciate; to devalue值 = zhí
Go deeper
All readings
value; worth
value; worth; to be worth; to happen to (be on duty)
价值；价钱。也指值得、正好遇上或轮到（如值班）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 价值jià zhívalue; worth值 = zhí
- 值得zhí déto be worth; to deserve值 = zhí
- 贬值biǎn zhíto depreciate; to devalue值 = zhí
Sound component
直 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 值 mean?
值 (zhí) means value; worth; to be worth; to happen to (be on duty).
How do you pronounce 值?
It is pronounced zhí.
What parts is 值 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 直 (straight; upright), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 值，措也。从人直聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 值 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 值?
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 值?
Common ones are 价值 and 值得. The reading of 值 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.