卒 (zú) is a Chinese character meaning “common soldier”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 从 (to follow; two people one behind the other) and 十 (ten), and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “soldier”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亠 + 从 + 十
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS ⿳亠从十 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数 2+4+2=8 及笔画位置核验一致。仅描述现代字形，各部件的历史来源未确认
Memory aid
A flat cap (亠) on top, two figures falling into line below it (从), and a long crossbar (十) holding the whole squad in place — a rank-and-file soldier.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 士卒shì zúrank-and-file soldiers; the troops卒 = zú
- 小卒xiǎo zúa foot soldier; a pawn; a nobody卒 = zú
Go deeper
All readings
soldier
common soldier; rank-and-file; a pawn (in Chinese chess); to finish; finally
兵；旧时供人差遣的人。也指象棋中的「卒」；书面语中表示完毕、终于。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 士卒shì zúrank-and-file soldiers; the troops卒 = zú
- 小卒xiǎo zúa foot soldier; a pawn; a nobody卒 = zú
Rare readings, not taught: cù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 卒 mean?
卒 (zú) means common soldier; rank-and-file; a pawn (in Chinese chess); to finish; finally.
How do you pronounce 卒?
It is pronounced zú.
What parts is 卒 made of?
亠 (lid) and 从 (to follow; two people one behind the other) and 十 (ten). The recorded source is: IDS ⿳亠从十 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数 2+4+2=8 及笔画位置核验一致。仅描述现代字形，各部件的历史来源未确认. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 卒 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 卒?
十. 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 卒?
Common ones are 士卒 and 小卒. The reading of 卒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.