纸 zhǐ — paper · English

纸

zhǐ

paper

At a glance · 纸

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

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.

繁体「紙/帋」从糸，氏声，本义为丝絮制成之纸，后泛指纸。简体「纸」同。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为书写用的纸。

Structure

形声字，从糸（意符，纤维），氏（shì）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinzhǐ

Radical纟

Strokes7

UnicodeU+7EB8

Character type形声

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

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

English paper Paper, a writing material.

Français papier Le papier, matériau d’écriture.

Español papel El papel, material de escritura.

العربية ورق الورق، مادة الكتابة.

Русский бумага Бумага, материал для письма.

Common words

纸zhǐpaper
纸张zhǐ zhāngpaper

◉ Listen