史 (shǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “history”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 乂 (crossing strokes), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “history”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 乂
Overlapping structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分（⿻口乂），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：前 3 笔为口，第 4、5 笔为撇捺相交的乂
Memory aid
A mouth (口) with a big cross (乂) struck straight through it. What was spoken gets crossed out and written down instead — that written record is history.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 历史lì shǐhistory史 = shǐHSK 3
Go deeper
All readings
history
history; historical records; annals
历史；过去事情的记载。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 历史lì shǐhistory史 = shǐHSK 3
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 史 mean?
史 (shǐ) means history; historical records; annals.
How do you pronounce 史?
It is pronounced shǐ.
What parts is 史 made of?
口 (mouth) and 乂 (crossing strokes). The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分（⿻口乂），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：前 3 笔为口，第 4、5 笔为撇捺相交的乂. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 史 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 史?
口. 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 史?
Common ones are 历史. The reading of 史 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.