米 (mǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “uncooked rice”. It is written from 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “rice”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丷 + 木
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: ids-decomposition (build-time IDS) + hanzi-writer-data stroke alignment (strokes 0-1 = 丷, strokes 2-5 = 木)
Memory aid
Two grains flick off the top (丷) of a stalk (木) — that scatter of loose kernels is 米, rice. Both parts are really in this character, but this is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 玉米yù mǐcorn; maize米 = mǐ
- 千米qiān mǐkilometre米 = mǐ
- 米饭mǐ fàncooked rice米 = mǐ
- 厘米lí mǐcentimeter米 = mǐ
- 毫米háo mǐmillimeter米 = mǐ
- 米粒mǐ lìgrain of rice米 = mǐ
Go deeper
All readings
rice; metre
uncooked rice; hulled grain; also the metric unit metre
去了壳的谷粒，特指大米；也用作长度单位「米」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 玉米yù mǐcorn; maize米 = mǐ
- 千米qiān mǐkilometre米 = mǐ
- 米饭mǐ fàncooked rice米 = mǐ
- 厘米lí mǐcentimeter米 = mǐ
- 毫米háo mǐmillimeter米 = mǐ
- 米粒mǐ lìgrain of rice米 = mǐ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 米 mean?
米 (mǐ) means uncooked rice; hulled grain; also the metric unit metre.
How do you pronounce 米?
It is pronounced mǐ.
What parts is 米 made of?
丷 (two spreading strokes) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other. The recorded source is: ids-decomposition (build-time IDS) + hanzi-writer-data stroke alignment (strokes 0-1 = 丷, strokes 2-5 = 木). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 米 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 米?
米. 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 米?
Common ones are 玉米 and 千米. The reading of 米 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.