深 (shēn) is a Chinese character meaning “deep”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 罙 (deep (old form of 深); sound component), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “deep”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 罙
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「深，水。……从水罙聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵罙，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–10 与「罙」逐笔对应（3+8=11画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, 罙 on the right — picture water so deep you can't see the bottom. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 深刻shēn kèdeep; profound; making a strong impression深 = shēn
- 深厚shēn hòudeep; profound (of feelings or foundations)深 = shēn
- 深渊shēn yuānabyss; chasm深 = shēn
- 根深蒂固gēn shēn dì gùdeep-rooted; firmly entrenched深 = shēn
Go deeper
All readings
deep
deep; profound; (of color) dark; (of time) late
从上到下或从外到里的距离大；也指程度高、颜色浓、时间久。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 深刻shēn kèdeep; profound; making a strong impression深 = shēn
- 深厚shēn hòudeep; profound (of feelings or foundations)深 = shēn
- 深渊shēn yuānabyss; chasm深 = shēn
- 根深蒂固gēn shēn dì gùdeep-rooted; firmly entrenched深 = shēn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 深 mean?
深 (shēn) means deep; profound; (of color) dark; (of time) late.
How do you pronounce 深?
It is pronounced shēn.
What parts is 深 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 罙 (deep (old form of 深); sound component), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「深，水。……从水罙聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵罙，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–10 与「罙」逐笔对应（3+8=11画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 深 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 深?
氵. 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 深?
Common ones are 深刻, 深厚, 深渊. The reading of 深 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.