尼 (ní) is a Chinese character meaning “Buddhist nun (as in 尼姑)”. It is written from 尸 (corpse) and 匕 (ancient spoon; dagger), one enclosing the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “Buddhist nun; the syllable ní in loanwords”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尸 + 匕
Enclosing structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：笔画1–3＝尸，笔画4–5＝匕）
Memory aid
A bent-over body (尸) leans forward like a roof, and underneath it sits a single spoon (匕) — a nun in her bare hut, owning nothing but the spoon she eats with.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 尼姑ní gūBuddhist nun尼 = ní
- 尼龙ní lóngnylon尼 = ní
- 弗吉尼亚fú jí ní yàVirginia (US state)尼 = ní
- 迪士尼dí shì níDisney尼 = ní
- 尼姑庵ní gū ānBuddhist nunnery尼 = ní
Go deeper
All readings
Buddhist nun
Buddhist nun (as in 尼姑); also very common as a sound-transcription syllable in foreign words and names
佛教的女性出家人（如「尼姑」）；也常用来音译外来词和外国名字。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 尼姑ní gūBuddhist nun尼 = ní
- 尼龙ní lóngnylon尼 = ní
- 弗吉尼亚fú jí ní yàVirginia (US state)尼 = ní
- 迪士尼dí shì níDisney尼 = ní
- 尼姑庵ní gū ānBuddhist nunnery尼 = ní
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 尼 mean?
尼 (ní) means Buddhist nun (as in 尼姑); also very common as a sound-transcription syllable in foreign words and names.
How do you pronounce 尼?
It is pronounced ní.
What parts is 尼 made of?
尸 (corpse) and 匕 (ancient spoon; dagger), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：笔画1–3＝尸，笔画4–5＝匕）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 尼 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 尼?
尸. 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 尼?
Common ones are 尼姑 and 尼龙. The reading of 尼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.