肾 (shèn) is a Chinese character meaning “kidney”. It is written from 臤 (firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast) and 月 (moon; month), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “kidney”
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Structure
臤 + 月
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字 肉部：腎，水藏也。从肉，臤聲。现代简化字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：前四笔为简化的「臤」（「臣」缩写成两竖 + 又），后四笔为「月」（肉月）
Memory aid
臤 on top is a hand (又) gripping something and holding it fast; underneath sits 月, the flesh form that marks body parts — the body's flesh organ that keeps a firm grip on water and filters it out.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 肾脏shèn zàngkidney (the organ)肾 = shèn
- 肾炎shèn yánnephritis (inflammation of the kidney)肾 = shèn
Go deeper
All readings
kidney
kidney; the organ that filters blood and produces urine
肾脏，人和高等动物的泌尿器官，能过滤血液、生成尿液。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 肾脏shèn zàngkidney (the organ)肾 = shèn
- 肾炎shèn yánnephritis (inflammation of the kidney)肾 = shèn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 肾 mean?
肾 (shèn) means kidney; the organ that filters blood and produces urine.
How do you pronounce 肾?
It is pronounced shèn.
What parts is 肾 made of?
臤 (firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast) and 月 (moon; month), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字 肉部：腎，水藏也。从肉，臤聲。现代简化字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：前四笔为简化的「臤」（「臣」缩写成两竖 + 又），后四笔为「月」（肉月）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 肾 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 肾?
月. 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 肾?
Common ones are 肾脏 and 肾炎. The reading of 肾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.