周 (zhōu) is a Chinese character meaning “week”. It is written from 冂 (down box) and 土 (earth; soil) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “week; all the way around”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
冂 + 土 + 口
Enclosing structure
Structure from: IDS ⿵冂⿱土口 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数 2+3+3=8 核验一致。仅描述现代字形，各部件的历史来源未确认
Memory aid
An open frame (冂) wraps around a patch of earth (土) with a mouth (口) below it — walk the whole way around the plot and you are back where you started: a full circuit, a whole week.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 周末zhōu mòweekend周 = zhōu
- 周围zhōu wéisurroundings; around周 = zhōu
Go deeper
All readings
week; circuit
week; a circuit or lap; all around; everywhere; thorough, attentive; (surname Zhou)
环绕一圈；四面、普遍；也指一个星期。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 周末zhōu mòweekend周 = zhōu
- 周围zhōu wéisurroundings; around周 = zhōu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 周 mean?
周 (zhōu) means week; a circuit or lap; all around; everywhere; thorough, attentive; (surname Zhou).
How do you pronounce 周?
It is pronounced zhōu.
What parts is 周 made of?
冂 (down box) and 土 (earth; soil) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS ⿵冂⿱土口 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数 2+3+3=8 核验一致。仅描述现代字形，各部件的历史来源未确认. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 周 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 周?
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 周?
Common ones are 周末 and 周围. The reading of 周 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.