亲 (qīn) is a Chinese character meaning “close”. It is written from 立 (to stand; upright) and 朩 (wood shape whose slanting strokes stand apart from the vertical), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “close; dear”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
立 + 朩
Top–bottom structure
- 立 to stand; upright · lì unknown
- 朩 wood shape whose slanting strokes stand apart from the vertical unknown
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：0-4 立 / 5-8 朩）
Memory aid
Someone stands (立) right beside the wood (朩) of the family gate — the people who stay that close are your 亲.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 父亲fù qīnfather亲 = qīn
- 亲切qīn qièwarm and friendly; cordial亲 = qīn
- 亲吻qīn wěnto kiss亲 = qīn
- 亲戚qīn qirelative; relatives (family members by blood or marriage)亲 = qīn
Go deeper
All readings
close; dear
close; dear; intimate; related by blood; a parent or relative; to kiss
关系近的、感情深的；有血缘关系的人，如父母亲人；也表示用嘴唇接触。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 父亲fù qīnfather亲 = qīn
- 亲切qīn qièwarm and friendly; cordial亲 = qīn
- 亲吻qīn wěnto kiss亲 = qīn
- 亲戚qīn qirelative; relatives (family members by blood or marriage)亲 = qīn
Rare readings, not taught: qìng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 亲 mean?
亲 (qīn) means close; dear; intimate; related by blood; a parent or relative; to kiss.
How do you pronounce 亲?
It is pronounced qīn.
What parts is 亲 made of?
立 (to stand; upright) and 朩 (wood shape whose slanting strokes stand apart from the vertical), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：0-4 立 / 5-8 朩）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 亲 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 亲?
立. 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 亲?
Common ones are 父亲, 亲切, 亲吻. The reading of 亲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.