How to Write 姿 (zī) — Meaning “appearance; posture”

Imagine a woman (女) striking a pose and saying 'This is my second (次) best posture!' The two parts 次 and 女 visually combine to form 姿, and the idea of a woman showing off a pose links directly to the meaning of 'posture' or 'appearance'.

Write the top part 次 first: dot, lift, horizontal hook, left-falling, then right-falling. Then add the bottom 女 in the next two strokes: left-falling, right-falling, then the horizontal stroke crossing through. Keep the top compact and the bottom slightly wider to balance the character; a common mistake is making the 女 too small or writing its strokes out of order.

姿 (zī) means 'posture' or 'appearance' and contains 次 on top, while 妊 (rèn) means 'pregnant' and has 壬 (rén) as its top component, and 妍 (yán) means 'beautiful' and has 开 (kāi) on top. Visually, 姿 has a more complex top with two falling strokes compared to the simpler tops of 妊 and 妍. In usage, 姿 focuses on pose or looks, 妊 specifically refers to pregnancy, and 妍 describes beauty.

姿 appears in common words like 姿势 (posture, pose) for body positions in sports or photography, and 姿态 (attitude; posture) for manner or stance in social contexts. The word 姿色 (good looks) is used specifically for women's beauty, reflecting traditional cultural associations of feminine appearance. In modern use, 姿 is neutral but often carries a positive or aesthetic sense when describing a person's bearing or style.

Common words containing 姿 include: 姿势 (zī shì) — posture; pose; 姿态 (zī tài) — attitude; posture; pose; 姿色 (zī sè) — good looks (usually of a woman).