自 (zì) is a Chinese character meaning “self”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 目 (eye), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “self”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + 目
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern glyph decomposition (⿱丿目), verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (stroke 0 is the single 丿; strokes 1-5 form 目)
Memory aid
One short falling stroke (丿) sitting on top of an eye (目). Raise a finger just above your own eyes and point at yourself — 自 is the character you point with.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 自己zì jǐoneself; one's own自 = zìHSK 1
- 各自gè zìeach; each one; respectively自 = zì
- 自卑zì bēito feel inferior; to have low self-esteem自 = zì
- 自愧弗如zì kuì fú rúto feel ashamed of one's own inferiority; to consider oneself not as good as someone else自 = zì
- 自杀zì shāto commit suicide自 = zì
- 自由zì yóufreedom; free自 = zì
- 自私zì sīselfish自 = zì
- 玩火自焚wán huǒ zì fénhe who plays with fire gets burned (idiom)自 = zì
Go deeper
All readings
self
self; oneself; one's own; naturally; from, since
自己，本人；也表示自然而然，或表示「从、由」某处开始。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 自己zì jǐoneself; one's own自 = zìHSK 1
- 各自gè zìeach; each one; respectively自 = zì
- 自卑zì bēito feel inferior; to have low self-esteem自 = zì
- 自愧弗如zì kuì fú rúto feel ashamed of one's own inferiority; to consider oneself not as good as someone else自 = zì
- 自杀zì shāto commit suicide自 = zì
- 自由zì yóufreedom; free自 = zì
- 自私zì sīselfish自 = zì
- 玩火自焚wán huǒ zì fénhe who plays with fire gets burned (idiom)自 = zì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 自 mean?
自 (zì) means self; oneself; one's own; naturally; from, since.
How do you pronounce 自?
It is pronounced zì.
What parts is 自 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 目 (eye), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern glyph decomposition (⿱丿目), verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (stroke 0 is the single 丿; strokes 1-5 form 目). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 自 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 自?
自. 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 自?
Common ones are 自己. The reading of 自 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.