星 (xīng) is a Chinese character meaning “star”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 生 (to be born; to grow; raw; life), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “star”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 生
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS ⿱日生 (核对 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺 4+5=9 画)；说文解字：星，萬物之精，上爲列星。从晶省，生聲
Memory aid
A small sun (日) sitting on top of 生 "to be born": when the big sun goes down, tiny suns are born all over the night sky. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 星期xīng qīweek; day of the week星 = xīngHSK 1
- 明星míng xīngstar; celebrity星 = xīng
- 冥王星Míng wáng xīngPluto (dwarf planet)星 = xīng
- 星宿xīng xiùconstellation (in traditional Chinese astronomy)星 = xīng
Go deeper
All readings
star
star; celestial body; tiny speck; a star performer
夜空中发光的天体；也比喻细小的点，或某一领域有名的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 星期xīng qīweek; day of the week星 = xīngHSK 1
- 明星míng xīngstar; celebrity星 = xīng
- 冥王星Míng wáng xīngPluto (dwarf planet)星 = xīng
- 星宿xīng xiùconstellation (in traditional Chinese astronomy)星 = xīng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 星 mean?
星 (xīng) means star; celestial body; tiny speck; a star performer.
How do you pronounce 星?
It is pronounced xīng.
What parts is 星 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 生 (to be born; to grow; raw; life), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS ⿱日生 (核对 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺 4+5=9 画)；说文解字：星，萬物之精，上爲列星。从晶省，生聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 星 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 星?
日. 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 星?
Common ones are 星期 and 明星. The reading of 星 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.