劲 (jìn) is a Chinese character meaning “physical strength”. It is written from 圣 (sage; holy) and 力 (strength; power), side by side, and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, jìng, which turns up in 强劲 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “strength; energy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
圣 + 力
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode/IDS 现代字形拆分，已与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（5+2=7）
Memory aid
Left is 圣, right is 力 (strength). Picture a sage (圣) who still puts his strength (力) into every push — that steady effort is 劲.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 干劲gàn jìndrive; enthusiasm for work劲 = jìn
- 劲头jìn tóuvigor; energy; enthusiasm劲 = jìn
- 差劲chà jìnlousy; disappointing劲 = jìn
Go deeper
All readings
strength; energy
physical strength; energy; spirit; enthusiasm (for doing something)
力气；精神、兴趣或积极性。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 干劲gàn jìndrive; enthusiasm for work劲 = jìn
- 劲头jìn tóuvigor; energy; enthusiasm劲 = jìn
- 差劲chà jìnlousy; disappointing劲 = jìn
powerful; sturdy
strong; powerful; sturdy (written/formal, mostly in compounds)
强有力的；坚强有力（多用于书面语）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 强劲qiáng jìngstrong; powerful; robust劲 = jìng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 劲 mean?
劲 (jìn) means physical strength; energy; spirit; enthusiasm (for doing something).
How do you pronounce 劲?
Its main reading is jìn. It also has a second reading, jìng, which only shows up in certain words such as 强劲 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 劲 sometimes pronounced jìng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 强劲 it is read jìng.
What parts is 劲 made of?
圣 (sage; holy) and 力 (strength; power), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode/IDS 现代字形拆分，已与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（5+2=7）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 劲 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 劲?
力. 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 劲?
Common ones are 干劲 and 劲头. The reading of 劲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.