How to Write 姪 (zhí) — Meaning “nephew; niece”

Imagine a woman (女) arriving (至) at a family gathering to visit her nephew or niece. This picture helps you remember that 姪 means a brother's child.

Write the left radical 女 first, then the right part 至. Make sure the two halves are similar in height; a common mistake is making 女 too wide. The third stroke of 女, the long horizontal, should be slightly slanted upward to the right.

姪 uses the right part 至 (arrive), while 妊 uses 壬 (a worker shape) and means pregnancy, and 妍 uses 开 (two horizontal lines with a vertical) and means beautiful. Visually, 姪 has a distinct top horizontal line and a triangle shape inside 至, unlike the others.

姪 is used to refer to your brother's children: 姪子 for a nephew and 姪女 for a niece. It is a polite family term and can also be used in formal address like 贤姪 (worthy nephew). Though not in HSK, it appears in everyday conversation about extended family.

Common words containing 姪 include: 姪子 (zhí zi) — nephew (brother's son); 姪女 (zhí nǚ) — niece (brother's daughter); 贤姪 (xián zhí) — worthy nephew (a polite way to address a nephew).