忍 (rěn) is a Chinese character meaning “to endure”. It is written from 刃 (blade; knife edge) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to endure”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
刃 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·心部：忍，能也。从心，刃聲
Memory aid
A blade (刃) resting right on top of a heart (心). Both parts are really in this character — feel it and say nothing: that is enduring.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 忍受rěn shòuto endure; to bear; to put up with忍 = rěnHSK 5
- 残忍cán rěncruel; ruthless忍 = rěnHSK 6
- 忍耐rěn nàito endure; to put up with忍 = rěnHSK 5
Go deeper
All readings
to endure
to endure; to bear; to tolerate; to hold back
承受痛苦或不适而不表现出来；克制住自己。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 忍受rěn shòuto endure; to bear; to put up with忍 = rěnHSK 5
- 残忍cán rěncruel; ruthless忍 = rěnHSK 6
- 忍耐rěn nàito endure; to put up with忍 = rěnHSK 5
Sound component
刃 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 忍 mean?
忍 (rěn) means to endure; to bear; to tolerate; to hold back.
How do you pronounce 忍?
It is pronounced rěn.
What parts is 忍 made of?
刃 (blade; knife edge) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·心部：忍，能也。从心，刃聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 忍 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 忍?
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 忍?
Common ones are 忍受 and 残忍. The reading of 忍 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.