责 (zé) is a Chinese character meaning “responsibility”. It is written from 龶 (three horizontal strokes crossed by a short vertical that stops at the last stroke) and 贝 (shell), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “duty; to blame”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
龶 + 贝
Top–bottom structure
- 龶 three horizontal strokes crossed by a short vertical that stops at the last stroke unknown
- 贝 shell · bèi meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「龶」4 画，笔画 4–7 为「贝」4 画）
Memory aid
Three bars pinned by one short vertical (龶) sitting on top of a cowrie shell (贝), the old word for money. When money is on the table, someone has to answer for it — that is 责, duty and blame.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 责任zé rènresponsibility; duty责 = zé
- 负责fù zéto be responsible for; to be in charge of责 = zé
- 斥责chì zéto scold; to rebuke责 = zé
Go deeper
All readings
duty; to blame
responsibility; duty; to demand of someone; to reproach or blame
分内应该做的事；也指要求、责问、指出过失。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 责任zé rènresponsibility; duty责 = zé
- 负责fù zéto be responsible for; to be in charge of责 = zé
- 斥责chì zéto scold; to rebuke责 = zé
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 责 mean?
责 (zé) means responsibility; duty; to demand of someone; to reproach or blame.
How do you pronounce 责?
It is pronounced zé.
What parts is 责 made of?
龶 (three horizontal strokes crossed by a short vertical that stops at the last stroke) and 贝 (shell), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「龶」4 画，笔画 4–7 为「贝」4 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 责 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 责?
贝. 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 责?
Common ones are 责任 and 负责. The reading of 责 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.