租 (zū) is a Chinese character meaning “to rent”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 且 (moreover; for the time being), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to rent”
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Structure
禾 + 且
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：租，田賦也。从禾且聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（禾5 + 且5 = 10 笔）
Memory aid
禾 on the left is standing grain — the harvest. 且 on the right only carries the sound (compare 组 zǔ, 祖 zǔ). In the old days you paid for the land with a share of your grain: 租, rent.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 出租chū zūto rent out; to let租 = zū
- 租金zū jīnrent (money)租 = zū
- 租赁zū lìnto lease; to rent租 = zū
Go deeper
All readings
to rent
to rent; to hire; to lease; rent (payment)
租用或出租；也指租用房屋、土地等所付的钱。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 出租chū zūto rent out; to let租 = zū
- 租金zū jīnrent (money)租 = zū
- 租赁zū lìnto lease; to rent租 = zū
Sound component
且 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 租 mean?
租 (zū) means to rent; to hire; to lease; rent (payment).
How do you pronounce 租?
It is pronounced zū.
What parts is 租 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 且 (moreover; for the time being), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：租，田賦也。从禾且聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（禾5 + 且5 = 10 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 租 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 租?
禾. 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 租?
Common ones are 出租 and 租金. The reading of 租 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.