字
character; written word
zì
What does 字 mean?
字 (zì) means 'written character' — a single Chinese hanzi. It's how you count letters and characters: 三个字 (sān ge zì, 'three characters'), 你的名字有几个字？ ('how many characters are in your name?'). 字 contrasts with 词 (cí, 'word'): a 字 is one character, while a 词 can be one or more characters that together carry a meaning (学生 is one 词 but two 字). Two notes for English speakers: first, 字 by itself rarely means 'letter' in the alphabet sense — for that you use 字母 (zìmǔ); second, 字 also appears in many high-frequency compounds: 名字 (míngzi, name), 汉字 (Hànzì, Chinese characters), 写字 (xiězì, to write), 数字 (shùzì, number/digit). Mastering 字 unlocks how Chinese talks about its own writing system.
Character breakdown
character; written symbol (a child 子 under a roof 宀 — a child being taught to write)
Memory hook: 宀 (roof) + 子 (child) — a child learning to write under a roof becomes a written character.
Measure word for 字
Example sentences
你的名字有几个字？
Nǐ de míngzi yǒu jǐ ge zì?
How many characters are in your name?
spoken
这个字怎么读？
Zhège zì zěnme dú?
How do you read this character?
spoken
我会写一百个汉字。
Wǒ huì xiě yìbǎi ge Hànzì.
I can write one hundred Chinese characters.
neutral
他的字很漂亮。
Tā de zì hěn piàoliang.
His handwriting is very beautiful.
neutral
Common phrases with 字
Synonyms
字 is a single character; 词 is a word (one or more characters that form a meaning unit). 我 is one 字 and one 词; 学生 is two 字 but one 词. Dictionaries are organized by 字 but learners study 词。
字母 means 'letter (of the alphabet)' — used for English ABC, Pinyin, etc. 字 by itself only means a whole Chinese character. Don't say 一个字 when you mean one English letter.
Don't confuse 字 with
子 means 'child / son' (zǐ) or appears as a neutral-tone suffix (zi, e.g. 桌子 table). 字 is 子 sitting under a roof 宀. Different character, different meaning. 我的儿子 = my son; 我的名字 = my name.
自 means 'self.' Same pinyin shape as 字 but different character and meaning. 自己 = oneself; 一个字 = one character.
词 is a 'word' (lexical unit). 字 is a 'character' (one square block of writing). Learners constantly mix these — keep in mind: one 词 can contain multiple 字.