敬 (jìng) is a Chinese character meaning “to respect”. It is written from 苟 (the modern left-hand block of 敬: grass (艹) over 句; as a standalone character 苟 means "careless; if") and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to respect”
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Structure
苟 + 攵
Left–right structure
- 苟 the modern left-hand block of 敬: grass (艹) over 句; as a standalone character 苟 means "careless; if" · gǒu unknown
- 攵 a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something · pū meaning
Structure from: 说文解字（敬：肅也。从攴茍）；现代字形左半作「苟」，据 IDS ⿰苟攵
Memory aid
On the left, 苟; on the right, 攵 — a hand holding a stick. Stand up straight before that stick and you show respect.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 尊敬zūn jìngto respect; to revere; respected敬 = jìng
- 恭敬gōng jìngrespectful; deferential敬 = jìng
- 敬礼jìng lǐto salute; salute敬 = jìng
Go deeper
All readings
to respect
to respect; to honor; respectfully; to offer politely
尊重，有礼貌地对待；也指恭敬地送上。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 尊敬zūn jìngto respect; to revere; respected敬 = jìng
- 恭敬gōng jìngrespectful; deferential敬 = jìng
- 敬礼jìng lǐto salute; salute敬 = jìng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 敬 mean?
敬 (jìng) means to respect; to honor; respectfully; to offer politely.
How do you pronounce 敬?
It is pronounced jìng.
What parts is 敬 made of?
苟 (the modern left-hand block of 敬: grass (艹) over 句; as a standalone character 苟 means "careless; if") and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（敬：肅也。从攴茍）；现代字形左半作「苟」，据 IDS ⿰苟攵. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 敬 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 敬?
攵. 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 敬?
Common ones are 尊敬, 恭敬, 敬礼. The reading of 敬 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.