姿 (zī) is a Chinese character meaning “posture”. It is written from 次 (next in order; a time (occurrence)) and 女 (woman; female), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “posture; bearing”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
次 + 女
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：姿，態也。从女次聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1-6 与 次 逐笔对应，笔画 7-9 为 女）
Memory aid
次 rides on top purely for the sound (cì → zī); 女 underneath is the meaning. Picture a dancer holding one pose, then the next (次), then the next — every single one is a 姿.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 姿势zī shìposture; stance; the way one holds the body姿 = zī
Go deeper
All readings
posture
posture; bearing; the way a body is held; looks, appearance
身体摆出的样子；也指容貌、气度。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 姿势zī shìposture; stance; the way one holds the body姿 = zī
Sound component
次 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 姿 mean?
姿 (zī) means posture; bearing; the way a body is held; looks, appearance.
How do you pronounce 姿?
It is pronounced zī.
What parts is 姿 made of?
次 (next in order; a time (occurrence)) and 女 (woman; female), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：姿，態也。从女次聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1-6 与 次 逐笔对应，笔画 7-9 为 女）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 姿 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 姿?
女. 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 姿?
Common ones are 姿势. The reading of 姿 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.