终 (zhōng) is a Chinese character meaning “end”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 冬 (winter), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “end”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
纟 + 冬
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 画 = 纟 3 画 + 冬 5 画；部首取康熙 120 糸部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（冬 dōng / 终 zhōng：韵母同为 -ong，声调同为 1，声母 d→zh）
Memory aid
A silk thread (纟) unrolled all the way to winter (冬), the last season of the year — that is where it ends. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 终于zhōng yúfinally; at last; in the end终 = zhōngHSK 3
- 最终zuì zhōngfinal; ultimate; eventually终 = zhōng
Go deeper
All readings
end
end; final; to end; in the end, eventually
最后；结束；也指从头到尾的整段时间。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 终于zhōng yúfinally; at last; in the end终 = zhōngHSK 3
- 最终zuì zhōngfinal; ultimate; eventually终 = zhōng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 终 mean?
终 (zhōng) means end; final; to end; in the end, eventually.
How do you pronounce 终?
It is pronounced zhōng.
What parts is 终 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 冬 (winter), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 画 = 纟 3 画 + 冬 5 画；部首取康熙 120 糸部；声符判断只依据实测现代读音（冬 dōng / 终 zhōng：韵母同为 -ong，声调同为 1，声母 d→zh）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 终 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 终?
糸. 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 终?
Common ones are 终于 and 最终. The reading of 终 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.