柴 (chái) is a Chinese character meaning “firewood”. It is written from 此 (this; here) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “firewood”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
此 + 木
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 柴，小木散材。从木此声
Memory aid
Stand at "this" (此) spot and chop the wood (木) below into kindling — that is firewood.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 火柴huǒ cháimatch (for lighting fire)柴 = chái
- 木柴mù cháifirewood柴 = chái
Go deeper
All readings
firewood
firewood; kindling
烧火用的草木、木材。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 火柴huǒ cháimatch (for lighting fire)柴 = chái
- 木柴mù cháifirewood柴 = chái
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 柴 mean?
柴 (chái) means firewood; kindling.
How do you pronounce 柴?
It is pronounced chái.
What parts is 柴 made of?
此 (this; here) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 柴，小木散材。从木此声. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 柴 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 柴?
木. 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 柴?
Common ones are 火柴 and 木柴. The reading of 柴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.