日 (rì): the Chinese character for sun and day
日 (rì) is the Chinese character for sun, and it also means day. It is written with 4 strokes and pronounced rì in the fourth tone, falling. It began as a picture of the sun, and it appears in words such as 生日 (birthday) and 日本 (Japan).
- Pinyin
- rì
- Tone
- fourth tone (falling)
- Meaning
- sun; day
- Strokes
- 4
Video: 日 from picture to character
About 38 seconds, with sound. You will hear 日 read aloud, see the picture turn into the character, and get two example words to repeat.
Where the shape of 日 comes from
日 is a pictograph of the sun. Early forms show an outline with a dot or a short line in the middle. In today's script, written with straight strokes, the outline is a tall box and the mark is the line across the centre.
Why the mark is there is not certain. One common explanation is that it was added to tell the sun apart from other, similar-looking shapes.
The meaning "day" grew out of the meaning "sun".
How to say 日
日 is pronounced rì, in the fourth tone (falling). Listen to it in the video above and say it out loud a few times.
How to write 日: stroke order
日 has 4 strokes. Write the left vertical stroke first. The second stroke runs across the top and down the right side in one movement. Then write the line in the middle, and close the box with the bottom line last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Common words with 日
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日本 | Rìběn | Japan (literally “sun's origin”) |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday (literally “birth day”) |
| 日出 | rìchū | sunrise |
| 日记 | rìjì | diary |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday |
Good to know
Look-alikes: 日 (sun) is tall and narrow with one line inside. 目 (mù, eye) has two lines inside. 曰 (yuē, an old word for "to say") is wider and flatter.
In everyday speech the usual word for the sun is 太阳 (tàiyáng) and the usual word for a day is 天 (tiān). 日 is mostly found inside words and in written dates.
Quiz: test yourself on 日
5 quick questions. Pick one answer for each, then check your score.