How to Write 世 (shì) — Meaning “world; generation; era”

Think of the number 5 written in a fancy way: the strokes of 世 (5 strokes) can be seen as the number 5 with a horizontal line on top. This helps you recall both the stroke count and the idea of "world" (世界) because a world has many parts, like the number 5's curves.

Write 世 starting with the top horizontal stroke (一), then the vertical stroke through it, followed by the left vertical and the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the middle section too wide or the bottom stroke too long; keep the shape compact with the top line slightly shorter than the bottom line.

世 has 5 strokes and means "world" or "generation," while 万 (wàn, 3 strokes) means "10,000" and looks like a horizontal line with a bent hook, and 丈 (zhàng, 3 strokes) means "ten feet" or "to measure" with a horizontal line and a long downward stroke. Remember: 世 has a complex middle part, while 万 and 丈 are simpler and have different meanings.

世 appears in common words like 世界 (world) and 世纪 (century), and is used in expressions about eras or lifetimes, such as 去世 (to pass away). Culturally, 世 often appears in terms like 世界和平 (world peace) and is a key character for discussing history and global concepts.

Common words containing 世 include: 世界 (shì jiè) — world; 世纪 (shì jì) — century; 去世 (qù shì) — to pass away; to die.