迟 (chí) is a Chinese character meaning “late”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 尺 (chi (Chinese foot); ruler), one enclosing the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “late; slow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 尺
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿺辶尺，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 与「尺」逐笔对应（横折、横、撇、捺），笔画 4–6 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）
Memory aid
尺 is a ruler, and it also carries the sound here (chǐ → chí). Someone stops to measure the road 辶 instead of hurrying along it — that is 迟: slow, late.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 迟到chí dàoto be late; to arrive late迟 = chí
- 推迟tuī chíto postpone; to put off迟 = chí
- 迟钝chí dùnslow; sluggish; slow to react迟 = chí
Go deeper
All readings
late; slow
late; delayed; slow; not early
比规定的或合适的时间晚；缓慢。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 迟到chí dàoto be late; to arrive late迟 = chí
- 推迟tuī chíto postpone; to put off迟 = chí
- 迟钝chí dùnslow; sluggish; slow to react迟 = chí
Sound component
尺 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 迟 mean?
迟 (chí) means late; delayed; slow; not early.
How do you pronounce 迟?
It is pronounced chí.
What parts is 迟 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 尺 (chi (Chinese foot); ruler), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿺辶尺，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 与「尺」逐笔对应（横折、横、撇、捺），笔画 4–6 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 迟 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 迟?
辶. 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 迟?
Common ones are 迟到 and 推迟. The reading of 迟 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.