振 (zhèn) is a Chinese character meaning “to shake”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 辰 (the fifth Earthly Branch; time, day), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to shake, to rouse”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 辰
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字 (振，举救也。从手辰声); ids-decomposition ⿰扌辰 与 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔字形逐笔核验：笔画 0–2 为 扌，笔画 3–9 为 辰
Memory aid
A hand (扌) grabs 辰 and shakes it hard — picture a hand shaking the hour-sign 辰 to wake everyone up: shake, vibrate, rouse.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 振动zhèn dòngto vibrate; vibration振 = zhèn
- 振兴zhèn xīngto revitalize; to boost振 = zhèn
Go deeper
All readings
to shake; to rouse
to shake; to vibrate; to rouse; to boost
摇动、挥动；使奋起、兴起。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 振动zhèn dòngto vibrate; vibration振 = zhèn
- 振兴zhèn xīngto revitalize; to boost振 = zhèn
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 振 mean?
振 (zhèn) means to shake; to vibrate; to rouse; to boost.
How do you pronounce 振?
It is pronounced zhèn.
What parts is 振 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 辰 (the fifth Earthly Branch; time, day), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字 (振，举救也。从手辰声); ids-decomposition ⿰扌辰 与 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔字形逐笔核验：笔画 0–2 为 扌，笔画 3–9 为 辰. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 振 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 振?
扌. 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 振?
Common ones are 振动 and 振兴. The reading of 振 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.