刑
punishment, law
At a glance · 刑
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
小篆从刀开声，形声字，本指刑罚、割杀。隶楷作「刑」（古亦作「㓝」）。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
「刑」本指刑罚，引申为法律制裁。
Structure
形声字，刀（刂）为意符，开（井）为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinxíng
Radical刂
Strokes6
UnicodeU+5211
Character type形声
Theme政事
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
punishment, law
Punishment, penalty, criminal law.
Français
châtiment, loi
Châtiment, peine, loi pénale.
Español
castigo, ley
Castigo, pena, ley penal.
العربية
عقوبة، قانون
عقوبة أو قانون عقابي.
Русский
наказание, закон
Наказание, кара, уголовный закон.
Common words
- 刑法xíng fǎcriminal law
- 刑罚xíng fápunishment