Hanzi Writer

How to Write 市 (shì) — Meaning “market / city”

shì HSK Level 2 5 strokes Radical: 巾

市 (shì) means "market / city" in Chinese. It has 5 strokes with the radical 巾, and is HSK Level 2.

Rated 2.4/5 in difficulty (moderate).

Harder than 20% of HSK Level 2 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 城市 (chéng shì), 超市 (chāo shì), 市场 (shì chǎng).

Hanzi Writer's stroke validation shows learners typically need 5-8 attempts to write 市 with correct proportion and order.

Stroke order practice for 市 - shì

Practice Writing 市 (shì)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 市 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 市

The character 市 (shì) is written with 5 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 巾 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does shì (市) Mean in Chinese?

市 means market / city.

As an HSK Level 2 character, 市 is among the first characters beginners learn.

Character Data

Character市
Pinyinshì (shi)
Meaningmarket / city
Strokes5
Radical巾
HSK Level2
Difficulty2.4/5

Origin of 市

The character 市 originally depicted a market stall with a cloth banner (巾) hanging from a horizontal pole or roof, symbolizing a trading place. The top line represents the market boundary or canopy, while the cloth component evokes the flags or awnings used to mark a bustling market in ancient cities. Over time, 市 came to mean both 'market' and the city itself, as markets were central to urban life.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a busy city market where a white cloth (巾) hangs from a horizontal line (the top stroke), signaling the place to buy and sell.

Common Words with 市

城市 chéng shì
city
超市 chāo shì
supermarket
市场 shì chǎng
market

Example Sentences

这个城市很大。

zhè ge chéng shì hěn dà

This city is very big.

我去超市买东西。

wǒ qù chāo shì mǎi dōng xī

I'm going to the supermarket to buy things.

菜市场很热闹。

cài shì chǎng hěn rè nào

The vegetable market is very lively.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
市 (current) shì 5 巾
巾 jīn 3 巾
巿 fú 4 巾
帀 zā 4 巾
Stroke order practice for 市 - shì

Practice Writing 市 (shì)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 市 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

App Store ▶ Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions about 市

市 is made of a dot and a horizontal line on top (like a roof), with the radical 巾 (cloth) below. Together, they suggest a market stall with a cloth canopy, which connects to the meanings 'market' and 'city'.

More HSK Level 2 Characters

啊a/ā/á/ǎ/à情qíng安ān静jìng全quán色sè/shǎi长cháng/zhǎng办bàn法fǎ公gōng室shì夜yè助zhù饱bǎo报bào纸zhǐ背bēi/bèi如rú笔bǐ必bì

Characters with Radical 巾

巾jīn巿fú帀zā币bì布bù帅shuài帆fān师shī希xī帏wéi

Other 5-Stroke Characters

㐌yí㐱zhěn㢟chān且qiě丕pī世shì丘qiū丙bǐng业yè丛cóng