紫 zǐ — purple · English

紫

zǐ

purple

At a glance · 紫

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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 seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

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.

小篆从糸（糹）此声，形声字，本指红蓝相间的颜色，为贵色。隶楷作「紫」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「紫」本指青赤色，古为尊贵之色（紫禁城）。

Structure

形声字，糸（糹）为意符，此为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinzǐ

Radical糸

Strokes12

UnicodeU+7D2B

Character type形声

Theme颜色

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English purple Purple, a blue-red color; noble.

Français violet Violet, couleur bleu-rouge; noble.

Español púrpura Púrpura, color azul-rojo; noble.

العربية أرجواني لون أرجواني (أزرق محمر) نبيل.

Русский фиолетовый Фиолетовый, сине-красный цвет; благородный.

Common words

紫色zǐ sèpurple
紫zǐpurple

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