必 (bì) is a Chinese character meaning “must”. It is written from 心 (heart; mind) and 丿 (left-falling stroke), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “must”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
心 + 丿
Overlapping structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分（⿻心丿），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：第 1、2、3、5 笔构成心的形状，第 4 笔为贯穿其中的长撇
Memory aid
A long left-falling stroke (丿) cuts straight through the heart (心): when something is a must, your heart has no way around it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 必须bì xūmust; have to必 = bì
- 必要bì yàonecessary; essential必 = bì
Go deeper
All readings
must
must; have to; certainly; necessarily
一定；必定。表示事理上不能不这样。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 必须bì xūmust; have to必 = bì
- 必要bì yàonecessary; essential必 = bì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 必 mean?
必 (bì) means must; have to; certainly; necessarily.
How do you pronounce 必?
It is pronounced bì.
What parts is 必 made of?
心 (heart; mind) and 丿 (left-falling stroke). The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分（⿻心丿），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：第 1、2、3、5 笔构成心的形状，第 4 笔为贯穿其中的长撇. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 必 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 必?
心. 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 必?
Common ones are 必须 and 必要. The reading of 必 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.