唇 (chún) is a Chinese character meaning “lip”. It is written from 辰 (the fifth Earthly Branch; time, day) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “lip”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辰 + 口
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（辰 0-6 共7画 + 口 7-9 共3画 = 10画）；构件归属见《说文解字》「唇：从口辰聲」
Memory aid
A mouth (口) tucked into the corner of 辰 (chén, which also hints at the sound chún) — the soft edge around the mouth is the lips.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 嘴唇zuǐ chúnlips唇 = chún
- 唇膏chún gāolipstick; lip balm唇 = chún
Go deeper
Questions people ask about this character
What does 唇 mean?
唇 (chún) means lip; lips.
How do you pronounce 唇?
It is pronounced chún.
What parts is 唇 made of?
辰 (the fifth Earthly Branch; time, day) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（辰 0-6 共7画 + 口 7-9 共3画 = 10画）；构件归属见《说文解字》「唇：从口辰聲」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 唇 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 唇?
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 唇?
Common ones are 嘴唇 and 唇膏. The reading of 唇 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.