支 (zhī) is a Chinese character meaning “to hold up”. It is written from 十 (ten) and 又 (again), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “to hold up / support”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
十 + 又
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: dictionary.txt decomposition candidate ⿱十又, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (2 + 2 = 4 strokes)
Memory aid
A hand (又) underneath, a branch (十) on top. The hand holds the branch up — and holding something up is exactly what 支 does.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 支持zhī chíto support; to back支 = zhī
- 支付zhī fùto pay (money out)支 = zhī
- 支援zhī yuánto support; to back up; assistance支 = zhī
- 支柱zhī zhùpillar; mainstay; prop支 = zhī
Go deeper
All readings
to support; branch
to hold up; to support; to pay out; a branch; measure word for long thin things
撑住、支持；付出款项；也指分出来的枝条或分支，并可作长条形东西的量词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 支持zhī chíto support; to back支 = zhī
- 支付zhī fùto pay (money out)支 = zhī
- 支援zhī yuánto support; to back up; assistance支 = zhī
- 支柱zhī zhùpillar; mainstay; prop支 = zhī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 支 mean?
支 (zhī) means to hold up; to support; to pay out; a branch; measure word for long thin things.
How do you pronounce 支?
It is pronounced zhī.
What parts is 支 made of?
十 (ten) and 又 (again), one above the other. The recorded source is: dictionary.txt decomposition candidate ⿱十又, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (2 + 2 = 4 strokes). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 支 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 支?
支. 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 支?
Common ones are 支持 and 支付. The reading of 支 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.