旧 (jiù) is a Chinese character meaning “old”. It is written from 丨 (vertical stroke) and 日 (sun; day), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “old; used”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丨 + 日
Left–right structure
Structure from: modern glyph shape verified against hanzi-writer-data 旧 (5 strokes: 丨 + 日)
Memory aid
One upright line (丨) standing next to the sun (日): the same sun has come up over that line day after day. What it shines on is no longer new — it is old.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 旧书jiù shūold book; second-hand book旧 = jiù
- 仍旧réng jiùas before; still旧 = jiù
- 陈旧chén jiùold-fashioned; outdated旧 = jiù
Go deeper
All readings
old; used
old; used; worn; former; of the past
过去的、用过的、不是新的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 旧书jiù shūold book; second-hand book旧 = jiù
- 仍旧réng jiùas before; still旧 = jiù
- 陈旧chén jiùold-fashioned; outdated旧 = jiù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 旧 mean?
旧 (jiù) means old; used; worn; former; of the past.
How do you pronounce 旧?
It is pronounced jiù.
What parts is 旧 made of?
丨 (vertical stroke) and 日 (sun; day), side by side. The recorded source is: modern glyph shape verified against hanzi-writer-data 旧 (5 strokes: 丨 + 日). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 旧 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 旧?
丨. 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 旧?
Common ones are 旧书 and 仍旧. The reading of 旧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.