室 (shì) is a Chinese character meaning “room”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 至 (to arrive; to reach), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “room”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 至
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：室，实也。从宀从至。至，所止也。
Memory aid
A roof (宀) over the place you arrive at (至). Where you arrive and stop under a roof is a room.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 教室jiào shìclassroom室 = shì
- 办公室bàn gōng shìoffice室 = shìHSK 3
- 卧室wò shìbedroom室 = shì
- 浴室yù shìbathroom; shower room室 = shì
Go deeper
All readings
room
room; chamber; an office or section in an organization
屋子；房间。也指机关、单位里的工作部门。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 教室jiào shìclassroom室 = shì
- 办公室bàn gōng shìoffice室 = shìHSK 3
- 卧室wò shìbedroom室 = shì
- 浴室yù shìbathroom; shower room室 = shì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 室 mean?
室 (shì) means room; chamber; an office or section in an organization.
How do you pronounce 室?
It is pronounced shì.
What parts is 室 made of?
宀 (roof) and 至 (to arrive; to reach), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：室，实也。从宀从至。至，所止也。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 室 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 室?
宀. 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 室?
Common ones are 教室, 办公室, 卧室. The reading of 室 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.