孙 (sūn) is a Chinese character meaning “grandchild”. It is written from 子 (child; son) and 小 (small), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “grandchild”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
子 + 小
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（IDS ⿰子小），已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：子 3 画 + 小 3 画 = 6 画
Memory aid
A child (子) next to something small (小): the smaller child that comes after your own child — a grandchild.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 孙子sūn zigrandson孙 = sūnHSK 3
- 子孙zǐ sūnchildren and grandchildren; descendants孙 = sūn
Go deeper
All readings
grandchild
grandchild; grandson; descendant (in later generations)
儿子的子女；也泛指后代。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 孙子sūn zigrandson孙 = sūnHSK 3
- 子孙zǐ sūnchildren and grandchildren; descendants孙 = sūn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 孙 mean?
孙 (sūn) means grandchild; grandson; descendant (in later generations).
How do you pronounce 孙?
It is pronounced sūn.
What parts is 孙 made of?
子 (child; son) and 小 (small), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（IDS ⿰子小），已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：子 3 画 + 小 3 画 = 6 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 孙 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 孙?
子. 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 孙?
Common ones are 孙子 and 子孙. The reading of 孙 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.