职 (zhí) is a Chinese character meaning “job”. It is written from 耳 (ear) and 只 (only; measure word for animals), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “job; post”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
耳 + 只
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（《简化字总表》职←職；简化后右旁作「只」）
Memory aid
An ear (耳) beside 只 "only": at your post, your job is only to keep your ear open and listen. 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
- 职业zhí yèoccupation; profession职 = zhí
- 兼职jiān zhípart-time job; to hold a second job职 = zhí
- 殉职xùn zhíto die in the line of duty职 = zhí
Go deeper
All readings
job; post; duty
job; post; office; duty
职务、职位；分内应做的事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 职业zhí yèoccupation; profession职 = zhí
- 兼职jiān zhípart-time job; to hold a second job职 = zhí
- 殉职xùn zhíto die in the line of duty职 = zhí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 职 mean?
职 (zhí) means job; post; office; duty.
How do you pronounce 职?
It is pronounced zhí.
What parts is 职 made of?
耳 (ear) and 只 (only; measure word for animals), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（《简化字总表》职←職；简化后右旁作「只」）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 职 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 职?
耳. 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 职?
Common ones are 职业 and 兼职. The reading of 职 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.