How to Write 身 (shēn) — Meaning “body; oneself; personally”

Imagine the character 身 looks like a person standing sideways with a big belly — the top dot is the head, the horizontal line is the shoulders, and the curved strokes form the torso and legs. This visual image connects directly to the meaning 'body'. You can also think of the number 7 (stroke count) as a reminder of 'seven parts' of the body.

The stroke order starts with a left-to-right slanting stroke (丿), then a short horizontal, followed by a vertical hook, then two inner horizontals, and finally a long horizontal at the bottom. A common mistake is to make the bottom horizontal too short or to forget the small leftward hook on the vertical stroke. The overall shape should be slightly tall and narrow, not wide.

The most common word is 身体 (shēn tǐ), meaning 'body' or 'health', as in '身体好' (good health). 身上 (shēn shàng) means 'on the body' or 'at hand', like '我身上没钱' (I have no money on me). 健身 (jiàn shēn) means 'fitness' or 'to work out', used when talking about exercising at a gym.

身 is very common in everyday language, especially in health and fitness conversations, such as asking about someone's 身体 (health). Culturally, the Chinese value '身体' as a foundation for everything, so wishing someone '身体健康' (good health) is a standard greeting. The character also appears in idioms like '身先士卒' (to lead by example), showing its broader use beyond the literal body.

Common words containing 身 include: 身体 (shēn tǐ) — body; health; 身上 (shēn shàng) — on the body; at hand; 健身 (jiàn shēn) — Fitness / To work out.