紙 (zhǐ) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

紙

zhǐ[zhi3]Tone 3

paper

HSK 2

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纸

Guru Deep Dive

English · paper

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (thread) must be narrow and compressed to leave ample room for the right phonetic component (shì), maintaining an even vertical centerline.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 氐 was simplified in the right side to 氏, and the radical 纟 reflects the standard cursive-to-print simplification of 絲 (silk thread).

1. Meaning

paper

classifier for documents, letters, or sheet-like items

Noun / ClassifierNeutral#materials#stationery#office

Sample Usage

请给我一张纸。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yī zhāng zhǐ.
Please give me a sheet of paper.
这张纸很白。
Zhè zhāng zhǐ hěn bái.
This piece of paper is very white.

2. Sound

/[ʈʂɨ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

紙

zhǐzhi3

ˇ(214)

=zhǐ

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

i (-i*)

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: buzzing i sound after retroflex consonants

Note: Written as 'i (-i*)', pronounced as rounded 'i' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-i' (rr/zz).

Common Learner Trap: Do NOT pronounce '-i' as 'ee' after zh-! Keep your tongue in the consonant position and buzz 'rr/zz'.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips down like a hesitant 'Hmm?' before going up.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, zhǐ changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35), e.g., zhǐ zǐ becomes zhí zǐ.

👂

Listening trap: Beginners often confuse the retroflex initial 'zh-' with the alveolar 'z-'. Make sure your tongue is curled backward, not touching the back of your front teeth.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, dip down low to your chest, and sweep back up high.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (thread) must be narrow and compressed to leave ample room for the right phonetic component (shì), maintaining an even vertical centerline.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 氐 was simplified in the right side to 氏, and the radical 纟 reflects the standard cursive-to-print simplification of 絲 (silk thread).

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Radical (silk thread, textiles)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (Indicates that paper was historically made from silk fibers or textile waste.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 氏 (original sound: shì / zhǐ)

Paper (纸) is made by taking fine silk threads (纟) and processing them down into a flat sheet, echoing the phonetic sound of a clan or base (氏).

纟 Silk thread radical (material origin)
氏 Phonetic clue providing the 'zhǐ' sound

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

8· Phonetic Root: 氏 (shì)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally, writing material before wood pulp paper was made of woven silk rags and hemp waste. The silk radical (纟) was combined with 氏 (shì) to represent refined fibrous sheets.

Semantic Evolution: From ancient silk-rag paper sheets to modern wood-pulp printing paper and general sheet classifier use.

Traditional paper invention is credited to Cai Lun during the Han Dynasty in 105 AD.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: シ / Kun: かみ

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

紙

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine crafting a delicate sheet of paper by pressing endless fine silk threads (纟) together until it forms a smooth page bearing a family crest (氏).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

低

dīlowReplace the silk radical with a person radical (亻) to mean low.

底

dǐbottomAdd a roof crown (广) over 氏 to represent the bottom foundation of a house.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

低(dī)

低 uses the person radical (亻) for people bending low, whereas 纸 uses the silk radical (纟) for silky paper material.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

老師，請給我一張[___]寫字。

Clue: zhǐ

Common Learner Pitfall

Writing the right side component incorrectly by mixing up 氏 with 氐 (adding an extra horizontal slash or dot).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 纸 mean, and what is its radical?

Production: How do you write the character for 'paper' (zhǐ) starting with the silk radical?

紙zhǐpaper

Speed:

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