宰 (zǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “to slaughter (livestock)”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 辛 (bitter; toilsome), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to slaughter; to rule”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
宀 + 辛
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：宰，辠人在屋下执事者。从宀从辛（现代字形 ⿱宀辛，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–9 核验）
Memory aid
Under a roof (宀), someone does the bitter, hard work (辛) of the house — slaughtering the animals and running things. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 宰相zǎi xiàngprime minister (in imperial China)宰 = zǎi
- 屠宰tú zǎito slaughter (livestock)宰 = zǎi
Go deeper
All readings
to slaughter; to rule
to slaughter (livestock); to govern, to be in charge; (historical) chief official, minister
杀牲畜；主管、主持；古代官名，如宰相。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宰相zǎi xiàngprime minister (in imperial China)宰 = zǎi
- 屠宰tú zǎito slaughter (livestock)宰 = zǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宰 mean?
宰 (zǎi) means to slaughter (livestock); to govern, to be in charge; (historical) chief official, minister.
How do you pronounce 宰?
It is pronounced zǎi.
What parts is 宰 made of?
宀 (roof) and 辛 (bitter; toilsome), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：宰，辠人在屋下执事者。从宀从辛（现代字形 ⿱宀辛，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–9 核验）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 宰 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宰?
宀. 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 宰?
Common ones are 宰相 and 屠宰. The reading of 宰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.