食 (shí) is a Chinese character meaning “food”. It is written from 𠆢 (roof-shaped top form of 人 (person)) and 良 (good; fine (often the sound part in compounds)), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “food”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠆢 + 良
Top–bottom structure
- 𠆢 roof-shaped top form of 人 (person) · rén unknown
- 良 good; fine (often the sound part in compounds) · liáng unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：2+7=9 笔）
Memory aid
A roof (𠆢) pitched over 良, the shape that means "good": good things kept under a roof are what you eat — food.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 食物shí wùfood食 = shí
- 零食líng shísnack; between-meal nibbles食 = shí
- 啄食zhuó shíto peck at food食 = shí
- 觅食mì shíto forage; to look for food食 = shí
- 食欲shí yùappetite食 = shí
- 食堂shí tángcanteen; dining hall食 = shí
- 食盐shí yántable salt食 = shí
Go deeper
All readings
food; to eat
food; something edible; to eat
吃的东西；也表示「吃」这个动作。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 食物shí wùfood食 = shí
- 零食líng shísnack; between-meal nibbles食 = shí
- 啄食zhuó shíto peck at food食 = shí
- 觅食mì shíto forage; to look for food食 = shí
- 食欲shí yùappetite食 = shí
- 食堂shí tángcanteen; dining hall食 = shí
- 食盐shí yántable salt食 = shí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 食 mean?
食 (shí) means food; something edible; to eat.
How do you pronounce 食?
It is pronounced shí.
What parts is 食 made of?
𠆢 (roof-shaped top form of 人 (person)) and 良 (good; fine (often the sound part in compounds)), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：2+7=9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 食 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 食?
食. 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 食?
Common ones are 食物 and 零食. The reading of 食 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.