自 Stroke Order — How to Write 自
自 is written in 6 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 自, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
自 Radical and Character Components
Partial breakdown of 自:目
自 is a pictograph. A nose; in China, people refer to themselves by pointing to their noses.
Radical: 自 + 0 more strokes
自 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- zì
Meanings of 自 in Chinese
1
zì自
Refers to oneself, indicating self-initiated actions or states, such as self-study or self-improvement.
她喜欢自学新技能，不断提升自己
She enjoys self-learning new skills and continuously improving herself.
From, since; indicates a starting point in time or origin, as in 'since' or 'from ancient times'.
自从他来了以后,气氛就变得很活跃。
Since he arrived, the atmosphere has become very lively.
naturally; of course; spontaneously
那些野花在贫瘠的土地上自生自灭，却开得无比绚烂。
Those wildflowers live and die naturally on the barren land, yet they bloom with incredible splendor.
Used to mean "if not", "unless", or "except for", often followed by "非" (fēi). It introduces a conditional clause indicating an exception.
自非亲身经历，很难体会其中艰辛。
Unless one experiences it firsthand, it's difficult to truly understand the hardships involved.
Common Words and Phrases with 自
1
Self-love and self-respect, involving care for one's own well-being and reputation.
拥有足够的自爱，我们才能更好地爱别人。
With sufficient self-love, we can better love others.
2
Arrogant; self-conceited; to be proud of one's achievements.
他的过分自傲使得他很难接受批评，也因此错失了很多改进的机会
His excessive arrogance made it difficult for him to accept criticism, thus causing him to miss many opportunities for improvement.
3
To extricate oneself from a difficult situation, pain, or evildoing.
他深陷痛苦之中，却始终无法自拔
He was deeply immersed in pain, yet he could never extricate himself.
4
A confession or self-confession.
他在聚会上忍不住向大家自白了他的创业计划，希望得到支持。
At the gathering, he couldn't resist declaring his entrepreneurial plans to everyone, hoping for support.
5
To make a self-assessment and hold a public discussion and evaluation.
社区活动负责人建议大家采取自报公议的方式，决定每人贡献的志愿服务时长。
The community event organizer suggested using self-declaration and public discussion to determine the duration of volunteer service contributed by each person.
6
To introduce oneself, often detailing one's name, background, or identity, similar to how an actor presents their character to an audience.
新来的同事一进会议室就自报家门，让大家都对她有了初步了解。
The new colleague immediately introduced herself and her background upon entering the meeting room, giving everyone a preliminary understanding of her.
7
To abandon oneself to despair; to give up on oneself and make no effort to improve or progress.
虽然他经历了一些挫折，但他并没有自暴自弃，而是努力寻找新的机会。
Although he experienced some setbacks, he did not give up on himself, but instead worked hard to find new opportunities.
8
to feel oneself inferior; to have low self-esteem
他因为口才不好而感到有些自卑。
He felt a bit inferior because he wasn't good at public speaking.
9
inferiority complex; a sense of inferiority
他因为身高问题而产生了一点自卑感。
He developed a bit of an inferiority complex due to his height.
10
to prepare or provide for oneself
参加露营活动，需要自备帐篷和睡袋。
To participate in the camping activity, you need to bring your own tent and sleeping bag.
11
Self-abasement; a feeling of inferiority, guilt, or shame towards oneself.
她总是在公开场合自贬，这让周围的人感到很不舒服。
She always belittles herself in public, which makes people around her uncomfortable.
12
at one's convenience; as one pleases
你们想吃什么就自便吧，冰箱里有水果和饮料。
Help yourselves to whatever you'd like to eat; there are fruits and drinks in the fridge.
13
Self-sowing (referring to seeds falling and naturally germinating without human intervention).
这种植物具有很强的自播能力，每年秋天都会在花园里自行繁衍出新的幼苗。
This plant has a strong self-seeding ability, and every autumn new seedlings propagate themselves in the garden.
14
to overestimate one's own capabilities; to not know one's own limitations
他竟然想一个人完成这个大项目，真是自不量力。
He actually tried to complete this huge project all by himself, truly overestimating his own abilities.
15
To commit suicide; take one's own life.
由于身患重病，他最终选择自裁，以解脱痛苦。
Suffering from a severe illness, he ultimately chose to take his own life to escape the pain.
16
to feel ashamed of oneself
看到同学们都取得了优异的成绩，小明为自己过去的懒散感到自惭。
Seeing all his classmates achieve excellent results, Xiao Ming felt ashamed of his past laziness.
More words with 自
- jìng径zì自directly, straight
- shàn擅zì自without authorization, arbitrarily
- jìng竟zì自Surprisingly; unexpectedly
- yóu犹zì自still; even
- gōng龚zì自zhēn珍Gong Zizhen
- zì自cóng从since, ever since
- zì自jǐ己Self, Own
- zì自rán然Nature, Natural
- zì自xìn信Self-confidence, Confidence
- zì自yóu由Freedom, Liberty
- zì自yòu幼from childhood, since childhood
- gè各zì自each, respective
- lái来zì自from, come from
- qīn亲zì自personally, in person
- zì自chēng称call oneself, claim to be
- zì自dòng动automatic, voluntary
- zì自gǔ古since ancient times, from ancient times
- zì自háo豪proud, pride
- zì自qiān谦modesty, self-effacement
- zì自shēn身Oneself, Self
Idioms with 自
- zì自cán惭xíng形huì秽ashamed of one's inferiority
- zì自chǎn产zì自xiāo销produce and sell one's own products
- zì自chéng成yī一jiā家establish a unique style or school
- zì自chū出jī机zhù杼create something original
- zì自chuī吹zì自léi擂to blow one's own trumpet
- zì自chuī吹zì自pěng捧blow one's own trumpet
- zì自dé得qí其lè乐find joy in one's own way
- zì自fù负yíng盈kuī亏responsible for own profits and losses
- zì自gān甘duò堕luò落willingly degrade oneself
- zì自gān甘luò落hòu后willingly lag behind
- zì自gāo高zì自dà大arrogant and conceited
- zì自gào告fèn奋yǒng勇volunteer for a task enthusiastically
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Open the tool →Questions about 自
What does 自 mean in Chinese?
自 (zì) means “Refers to oneself” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 自?
自 is pronounced zì in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 自 have?
自 has 6 strokes.
How do you write 自?
自 is written in 6 strokes, starting from the radical 自. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 自?
The radical of 自 is 自, and 自 is a pictograph.