孝 (xiào) is a Chinese character meaning “filial piety”. It is written from 耂 ("old" top form (老字头) — an elder with long hair leaning on a stick) and 子 (child; son), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “filial; caring for one's parents”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
耂 + 子
Top–bottom structure
- 耂 "old" top form (老字头) — an elder with long hair leaning on a stick · lǎo meaning
- 子 child; son · zǐ meaning
Structure from: 说文解字: 孝，善事父母者。从老省，从子，子承老也
Memory aid
The elder's top (耂) sits on the shoulders of a child (子): the young one carries the old one. Both parts are really in this character, and together they mean caring for your parents.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 孝心xiào xīnfilial devotion; the wish to care for one's parents孝 = xiào
- 孝子xiào zǐa filial son; a son who cares for his parents孝 = xiào
Go deeper
All readings
filial
filial piety; to care for and respect one's parents and elders
尽心奉养、尊敬父母长辈。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 孝心xiào xīnfilial devotion; the wish to care for one's parents孝 = xiào
- 孝子xiào zǐa filial son; a son who cares for his parents孝 = xiào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 孝 mean?
孝 (xiào) means filial piety; to care for and respect one's parents and elders.
How do you pronounce 孝?
It is pronounced xiào.
What parts is 孝 made of?
耂 ("old" top form (老字头) — an elder with long hair leaning on a stick) and 子 (child; son), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 孝，善事父母者。从老省，从子，子承老也. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 孝 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 孝?
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 孝?
Common ones are 孝心 and 孝子. The reading of 孝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.