乙 (zhé) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

乙

zhé[zhe2]Tone 2

turning stroke

HSK 5

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · turning stroke

Cached lesson

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Topology:Single character

Strokes:1

Writing Balance Rule: Write a single sweeping, angled stroke that starts horizontally, turns sharply downward, and hooks slightly upward at the end like a resting hook.

1. Meaning

turning stroke (in Chinese characters)

second Heavenly Stem (乙 is often used in lists, numbering, or grading as the second item, analogous to 'B')fish intestines or curved shape

NounFormal / CalligraphicBound morpheme#calligraphy#grammar#traditional categorization

Sample Usage

这个字有一个折。
zhè ge zì yǒu yī gè zhé.
This character has a turning stroke.
乙醇
yǐ chún
Ethanol (Note: In chemical nomenclature, 乙 denotes an ethyl group, distinct from its use as a stroke name).

2. Sound

/[ʐ̩³⁵]/Tone: 35

乙

zhézhe2

´(35)

=zhé

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -er sound without the r-coloring

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from middle pitch to high pitch, matching the intonation of a surprised question in English like 'What?'

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with zé or zhě by beginners who fail to maintain the retroflex tongue posture or miss the rising pitch contour.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 starts mid and sweeps sharply upward like an inquiring 'Huh?' or rising arrow.

3. Writing

Topology: Single character · Strokes: 1 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Write a single sweeping, angled stroke that starts horizontally, turns sharply downward, and hooks slightly upward at the end like a resting hook.

4. Components

Radical 乙 · Second Stem Radical (hook, second, or bent line)

As a single-component pictograph, it represents a single continuous curving or bending line, which evolved directly into the foundational calligraphic 'turning stroke'.

乙 Single stroke representing a bend or hook

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

7· Phonetic Root: 乙 (zhé)

5. History

Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: In Oracle Bone script, 乙 depicted a plant sprout bending as it emerges from the soil, or a fish intestine. Over time, it was borrowed to represent the second Heavenly Stem and came to designate a sharp turn or hook in writing.

Semantic Evolution: From a sprouting/bending plant or winding shape, it transitioned into a numerical/ordinal marker (second) and a fundamental writing stroke descriptor.

It is one of the foundational Kangxi radicals (Radical 5).
In traditional Chinese cataloging, 乙 is used similarly to 'B' in English outlines.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

āt / ất

The entering tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to short checked syllables.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: オツ (otsu) / Kun: きのと (kinoto)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

을

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a lightning bolt or a fish hook taking a sharp 'Z-turn' (zhé) as it bends downward.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

己(jǐ)

己 (oneself) closes and has a vertical opening; 乙 is an open, single-stroke zigzag hook.

已(yǐ)

已 (already) has its vertical stroke protruding fully through the top opening, whereas 乙 stops short.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这个汉字笔画里有一个[___]。

Clue: zhé

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 乙 (zhé) with 己 (jǐ) or 已 (yǐ) due to their near-identical visual building blocks.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What is the primary calligraphic meaning of 乙 when discussed as a stroke type?

Production: How do you write the single-stroke character representing a turning hook or the second Heavenly Stem?

乙zhéturning stroke

Speed:

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