准 (zhǔn) is a Chinese character meaning “accurate”. It is written from 冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “accurate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
冫 + 隹
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代规范字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（冫=笔画0–1，隹=笔画2–9）
Memory aid
A short-tailed bird (隹) lands right beside two drops of ice (冫) — landing on the exact spot takes accuracy.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 准备zhǔn bèito prepare; to get ready准 = zhǔnHSK 2
- 标准biāo zhǔnstandard; criterion准 = zhǔn
Go deeper
All readings
accurate; to allow
accurate; exact; standard; to allow; to permit; will certainly
准确；标准；允许。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 准备zhǔn bèito prepare; to get ready准 = zhǔnHSK 2
- 标准biāo zhǔnstandard; criterion准 = zhǔn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 准 mean?
准 (zhǔn) means accurate; exact; standard; to allow; to permit; will certainly.
How do you pronounce 准?
It is pronounced zhǔn.
What parts is 准 made of?
冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代规范字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（冫=笔画0–1，隹=笔画2–9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 准 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 准?
冫. 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 准?
Common ones are 准备 and 标准. The reading of 准 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.