咨 (zī) is a Chinese character meaning “to consult”. It is written from 次 (next in order; a time (occurrence)) and 口 (mouth), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to consult; to seek advice”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
次 + 口
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode IDS ⿱次口, checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph strokes (6 + 3 = 9); 说文解字：从口，次聲。
Memory aid
A mouth (口) sitting under 次, "the next one": you take your question to the next person, and the next, asking mouth after mouth until you get an answer. That is consulting.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 咨询zī xúnto consult; to seek advice咨 = zī
Go deeper
All readings
to consult; to take counsel
to consult; to seek advice on a matter; (formal) official communication between offices
跟别人商量、征求意见；旧时也指平级机关之间的公文。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 咨询zī xúnto consult; to seek advice咨 = zī
Origin
Shuowen Jiezi analyses 咨 as 从口次聲: the mouth (口) carries the meaning — this is something done by speaking — while 次 supplies the sound. The recorded early sense is deliberating over a matter by asking others, which is still what 咨 means today in 咨询.
Source: 说文解字：咨，謀事曰咨。从口，次聲。
Sound component
次 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 咨 mean?
咨 (zī) means to consult; to seek advice on a matter; (formal) official communication between offices.
How do you pronounce 咨?
It is pronounced zī.
What parts is 咨 made of?
次 (next in order; a time (occurrence)) and 口 (mouth), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode IDS ⿱次口, checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph strokes (6 + 3 = 9); 说文解字：从口，次聲。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 咨 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 咨?
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 咨?
Common ones are 咨询. The reading of 咨 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.