How to Write 狮 (shī) — Meaning “lion”

Imagine a lion (狮) wearing a teacher's (师) cap, because the right side looks like the character for teacher. The animal radical 犭 on the left reminds you it is a wild animal. This visual trick helps connect the shape to the meaning.

Write the left radical 犭 first: a left-falling stroke, then a hook stroke, then a second left-falling stroke. Then add the right part 师: start with a left-falling stroke, a horizontal stroke, then the small 'jin' radical inside. A common mistake is making the right part too wide; keep it compact and balanced with the left.

狮 (shī, lion) has the animal radical 犭 and the right part 师. 状 (zhuàng, shape/state) uses the same left radical but the right part is 丬 (a board). 犹 (yóu, still/as if) has the left 犭 and right 尤 (especially). Focus on the right-side components to tell them apart.

狮 appears in common words like 狮子 (lion) and 舞狮 (lion dance), which is a traditional performance during Chinese New Year. Stone lions (石狮子) are often placed at building entrances for good luck and protection. The character is not part of the HSK vocabulary but is frequently seen in cultural contexts.

Common words containing 狮 include: 狮子 (shī zi) — lion; 舞狮 (wǔ shī) — Lion dance; 石狮子 (shí shī zi) — stone lion.