词 (cí) is a Chinese character meaning “word”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 司 (to take charge of; to manage; a department), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “word”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 司
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（讠 2 画 + 司 5 画 = 7 画，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数一致）
Memory aid
Speech (讠) that someone has taken charge of (司): once a sound is owned and managed, it stops being noise and becomes a word.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 生词shēng cínew word (one you have not learned yet)词 = cí
- 名词míng cínoun词 = cí
- 词典cí diǎndictionary (of words)词 = cí
Go deeper
All readings
word
word; term; expression; wording
语言里能独立运用的最小单位；也指话语、说法。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 生词shēng cínew word (one you have not learned yet)词 = cí
- 名词míng cínoun词 = cí
- 词典cí diǎndictionary (of words)词 = cí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 词 mean?
词 (cí) means word; term; expression; wording.
How do you pronounce 词?
It is pronounced cí.
What parts is 词 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 司 (to take charge of; to manage; a department), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（讠 2 画 + 司 5 画 = 7 画，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 词 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 词?
讠. 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 词?
Common ones are 生词 and 名词. The reading of 词 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.