请 (qǐng) is a Chinese character meaning “please (polite request)”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 青 (blue-green; young), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “please”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 青
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 請，謁也。从言青聲 (简化后 言→讠)
Memory aid
Speech (讠) that is fresh and green (青): polite, gentle words — the way you say "please" when you ask or invite someone.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 请问qǐng wènmay I ask; excuse me请 = qǐngHSK 1
- 申请shēn qǐngto apply for; application请 = qǐng
- 请帖qǐng tiěinvitation card请 = qǐngspoken asqíng tiě
- 宴请yàn qǐngto host a banquet for; to entertain (guests)请 = qǐng
- 请柬qǐng jiǎninvitation card请 = qǐngspoken asqíng jiǎn
Go deeper
All readings
please; to ask; to invite
please (polite request); to ask; to request; to invite; to treat (someone to a meal)
客气地请求别人做某事；邀请；请客。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 请问qǐng wènmay I ask; excuse me请 = qǐngHSK 1
- 申请shēn qǐngto apply for; application请 = qǐng
- 请帖qǐng tiěinvitation card请 = qǐngspoken asqíng tiě
- 宴请yàn qǐngto host a banquet for; to entertain (guests)请 = qǐng
- 请柬qǐng jiǎninvitation card请 = qǐngspoken asqíng jiǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 请 mean?
请 (qǐng) means please (polite request); to ask; to request; to invite; to treat (someone to a meal).
How do you pronounce 请?
It is pronounced qǐng.
What parts is 请 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 青 (blue-green; young), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 請，謁也。从言青聲 (简化后 言→讠). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 请 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 请?
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 请?
Common ones are 请问 and 申请. The reading of 请 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.