Character: 日 (rì) sun

日 (rì) means sun, the character is visualized as a piece of cloud in front of the Sun
Pinyin rì
Meaning sun; day; date, day of the month
Radical 日 繁體字 same
n/a
Chinese character pictographcategory: pictograph

Chinese character single structurestructure: single

4stroke count

HSK 2

Stroke order of the Chinese character 日 (rì) sun. There are 4 strokes, and the character is written first with the outside cover, then the content inside, and the bottom stroke last

日 (rì) “sun,” a pictograph, has a horizontal stroke inside of a vertical rectangle. Note that 日 (rì) usually signifies “sun” as a component, but it means “day” as a morpheme or word.

Used as a component

When 日 (rì) serves as a component, it mostly signifies “sun.”

rì
日
sun		 míng
明
bright		 xīng
星
star		 shì
是
to be
shí
时
time		 zuó
昨
yesterday		 jiān
间
space

Used as a morpheme/word

Since the sunrise marks a new day, 日 (rì) took on the meaning “day.” It became the primary meaning of 日 (rì) when it is used as a morpheme or word.

Wordlist

  • HSK 1: 星期日 (xīngqīrìrì) Sunday
  • HSK 2: 日 (rì) day
  • HSK 3: 节日 (jiérì) holiday
  • HSK 4: 日记 (rìjì) diary
  • HSK 5: 日常 (rìcháng) daily

How to pronounce

First, say ee, as in “see,” then move the tip of your tongue backward while it is touching the roof. Once you can feel the slope, stop right there, hold still, and say ee again.

4th Pinyin Yale IPA
Initial r- r [ʐ]
Final -i n/a [ɿ]

Chinese character practice sheet

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