斯 (sī) is a Chinese character meaning “this”. It is written from 其 (his; her; its; that) and 斤 (catty (unit of weight)), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “this; used in transliterations”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
其 + 斤
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 斯，析也。从斤其聲
Memory aid
Take that basket (其) and split it with an axe (斤): "this one, right here" — 斯.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 斯文sī wénrefined; cultured; gentle in manner斯 = sī
- 俄罗斯é luó sīRussia斯 = sī
- 鄂尔多斯è ěr duō sīOrdos (a city in Inner Mongolia)斯 = sī
Go deeper
All readings
this; used in transliterations
this; thus (literary); commonly used to write the sound "s" in foreign names
文言中指“这”“这里”；现代多用于音译外国名称，也见于“斯文”等词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 斯文sī wénrefined; cultured; gentle in manner斯 = sī
- 俄罗斯é luó sīRussia斯 = sī
- 鄂尔多斯è ěr duō sīOrdos (a city in Inner Mongolia)斯 = sī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 斯 mean?
斯 (sī) means this; thus (literary); commonly used to write the sound "s" in foreign names.
How do you pronounce 斯?
It is pronounced sī.
What parts is 斯 made of?
其 (his; her; its; that) and 斤 (catty (unit of weight)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 斯，析也。从斤其聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 斯 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 斯?
斤. 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 斯?
Common ones are 斯文, 俄罗斯, 鄂尔多斯. The reading of 斯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.