How to Write 义 (yì) — Meaning “Meaning, justice, or righteousness.”

Imagine the dot on top as a judge's gavel striking down, with the cross below representing the scales of justice. The two strokes crossing symbolize the balanced weighing of right and wrong. This visual helps link the character to its meaning of justice or righteousness.

The stroke order is: dot (丶) first, then left-falling stroke (丿), then right-falling stroke (㇏). Make sure the two diagonal strokes do not cross above the dot, and keep the dot centered above them. A common mistake is making the dot too large or placing it off-center, which ruins the character's balance.

义 is a complete character meaning justice, while 丶 is just a single dot used as a radical or in other characters, and 丷 is a two-dot component often seen in characters like 关. Unlike 义, neither 丶 nor 丷 are standalone words with their own meaning; they are only building blocks.

义 appears in common words like 意义 (meaning), 义务 (duty), and 正义 (justice). It carries a strong cultural weight, often associated with moral righteousness in Confucian ethics. For example, 义气 refers to loyalty and brotherhood, a key virtue in Chinese society.

Common words containing 义 include: 意义 (yì yì) — significance / meaning; 义务 (yì wù) — Obligation, duty, or voluntary.; 正义 (zhèng yì) — Justice.