津 (jīn) is a Chinese character meaning “ferry crossing”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 聿 (writing brush), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “ferry crossing”
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Structure
氵 + 聿
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰氵聿，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–8 与「聿」逐笔对应（3+6=9画）。说文解字记「津，水渡也，从水𦘒聲」，今形右旁写作「聿」与𦘒的关系存疑，故右旁角色留 unknown
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, a writing brush (聿) on the right: at the ferry crossing you sign the brush-written passenger list before stepping into the water.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 天津tiān jīnTianjin (major port city in northern China)津 = jīn
- 津贴jīn tiēallowance; subsidy津 = jīn
Go deeper
All readings
ferry crossing
ferry crossing; ford; (also) saliva; moist
渡口；也指唾液、口水，或含有水分的样子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 天津tiān jīnTianjin (major port city in northern China)津 = jīn
- 津贴jīn tiēallowance; subsidy津 = jīn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 津 mean?
津 (jīn) means ferry crossing; ford; (also) saliva; moist.
How do you pronounce 津?
It is pronounced jīn.
What parts is 津 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 聿 (writing brush), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰氵聿，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–8 与「聿」逐笔对应（3+6=9画）。说文解字记「津，水渡也，从水𦘒聲」，今形右旁写作「聿」与𦘒的关系存疑，故右旁角色留 unknown. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 津 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 津?
氵. 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 津?
Common ones are 天津 and 津贴. The reading of 津 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.