在 (zài) is a Chinese character meaning “to be at (a place)”. It is written from 𠂇 (the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke) and 丨 (vertical stroke) and 土 (earth; soil), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to be at; to exist”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠂇 + 丨 + 土
Enclosing structure
- 𠂇 the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke unknown
- 丨 vertical stroke · gǔn unknown
- 土 earth; soil · tǔ unknown
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes (第 1–2 笔构成 𠂇，第 3 笔为左侧竖，第 4–6 笔构成 土)
Memory aid
All three parts are really in this character: a hand (𠂇) reaching from the top left, a post (丨) driven straight down, and the ground (土) underneath. Plant the post in the ground and you have marked where something is.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 现在xiàn zàinow; at present在 = zàiHSK 1
- 正在zhèng zàiin the middle of (doing something); currently在 = zàiHSK 2
- 存在cún zàito exist; existence在 = zài
- 心不在焉xīn bú zài yānabsent-minded; not paying attention在 = zài
Go deeper
All readings
to be at; to exist
to be at (a place); to exist; to be present; also placed before a verb to mark an action in progress
表示人或事物的位置、存在；也用在动词前，表示动作正在进行。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 现在xiàn zàinow; at present在 = zàiHSK 1
- 正在zhèng zàiin the middle of (doing something); currently在 = zàiHSK 2
- 存在cún zàito exist; existence在 = zài
- 心不在焉xīn bú zài yānabsent-minded; not paying attention在 = zài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 在 mean?
在 (zài) means to be at (a place); to exist; to be present; also placed before a verb to mark an action in progress.
How do you pronounce 在?
It is pronounced zài.
What parts is 在 made of?
𠂇 (the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke) and 丨 (vertical stroke) and 土 (earth; soil), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes (第 1–2 笔构成 𠂇，第 3 笔为左侧竖，第 4–6 笔构成 土). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 在 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 在?
土. 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 在?
Common ones are 现在 and 正在. The reading of 在 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.