How to Write 侄 (zhí) — Meaning “nephew”

Think of a person (亻) who has "arrived" (至) at your house — that person is your nephew. The image of a family member arriving helps link the sound zhí to the meaning. You can also remember that 至 looks like a little person with arms extended, greeting you.

Start with the left radical 亻, which has two strokes: first a slanted line, then a vertical stroke. Then write 至: first a horizontal stroke, then a diagonal fold, dot, then three strokes for the bottom (vertical, horizontal, horizontal). Make sure the bottom of 至 is evenly spaced and not too wide.

Although 仰 (yǎng, "look up") and 仲 (zhòng, "second brother") also use the person radical, their right parts differ: 仰 has 卬, and 仲 has 中. Unlike 侄, which refers to a brother's child, 仰 describes an action of raising the head, and 仲 indicates a middle or second position among siblings.

You use 侄 mainly in family terms like 侄子 (nephew) and 侄女 (niece) to refer to your brother's children. In polite conversation, a person might call themselves 小侄 when speaking humbly to an older relative. Note that for a sister's children, Chinese uses 外甥 instead.

Common words containing 侄 include: 侄子 (zhí zi) — nephew; 侄女 (zhí nǚ) — niece; 小侄 (xiǎo zhí) — nephew (humble term used by the speaker).