逆 (nì) is a Chinese character meaning “contrary”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 屰 (contrary; the wrong way round (nì) — a bound component, not used on its own in modern Chinese), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “contrary; against”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 屰
Enclosing structure
- 辶 walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò) · chuò meaning
- 屰 contrary; the wrong way round (nì) — a bound component, not used on its own in modern Chinese · nì sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿺辶屰，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：逆共 9 笔，笔画 0–5 与「屰」（6 笔）逐笔对应，笔画 6–8 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）
Memory aid
屰 carries the sound here (nì), and it looks like a figure standing on its head. Put that upside-down figure on the road 辶 and you are travelling the wrong way down it — 逆: against the flow.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 叛逆pàn nìrebellious; a rebel逆 = nì
- 逆风nì fēngheadwind; against the wind逆 = nì
Go deeper
All readings
contrary; against
contrary; reverse; to go against; to disobey
方向相反，不顺；违背、抵抗。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 叛逆pàn nìrebellious; a rebel逆 = nì
- 逆风nì fēngheadwind; against the wind逆 = nì
Sound component
屰 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 逆 mean?
逆 (nì) means contrary; reverse; to go against; to disobey.
How do you pronounce 逆?
It is pronounced nì.
What parts is 逆 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 屰 (contrary; the wrong way round (nì) — a bound component, not used on its own in modern Chinese), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿺辶屰，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：逆共 9 笔，笔画 0–5 与「屰」（6 笔）逐笔对应，笔画 6–8 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 逆 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 逆?
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 逆?
Common ones are 叛逆 and 逆风. The reading of 逆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.