Advertisements

Making Chinese characters easy to write.

Sister Sites

Five Elements Test

About•Privacy Policy•Terms of Service

DICTIONARY

Chinese Dictionary
Pinyin Index
Radical Index
Character Components
HSK Dictionary
Character Compare

DICTIONARY

Chinese Dictionary
Pinyin Index
Radical Index
Character Components
HSK Dictionary
Character Compare

TOOLS

Worksheet Generator
Worksheet Library
Pinyin Converter
Chinese Name Generator
Zodiac Calculator
HSK Level Checker
Flashcards
Dictation Practice

TOOLS

Worksheet Generator
Worksheet Library
Pinyin Converter
Chinese Name Generator
Zodiac Calculator
HSK Level Checker
Flashcards
Dictation Practice

LEARN

Learning Center
Blog
Chinese Stroke Rules
Chinese Idioms
Chinese Poetry
Pro Membership ✨

LEARN

Learning Center
Blog
Chinese Stroke Rules
Chinese Idioms
Chinese Poetry
Pro Membership ✨

© 2026 Hanzi Stroke. All rights reserved.

Made with♥for Chinese learners.

祖 (zǔ): Stroke Order, Meaning & How to Write

By CharacterBrowse all characters A-Z

HSK ListsAll HSK versions overview

HSK 2.0

Learn & Practice

Worksheet GeneratorCreate practice sheets for free

Learning Essentials

Home
Dictionary
祖

祖 (zǔ): Ancestor — Stroke Order & Writing Guide

HSK 3.0:Recognition 6

HSK 3.0Recognition 6

By PinyinSearch by pronunciation

By RadicalFind by radical component

By ComponentsLearn meaning and sound clues

HSK 3.0

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7-9

Worksheet LibraryHSK, Top 100 & themed PDFs

Dictation PracticeListen and write HSK characters

Flashcard ReviewSRS review for HSK and custom decks

HSK Level CheckerCheck HSK level of any text

Pinyin ConverterConvert Chinese to Pinyin

My Learning

Learning DashboardTrack your writing progress

My VocabularyReview saved words and lists

Fun & Culture

Name GeneratorCreate your Chinese name

8 Basic Strokes GuideHot

Foundation of all characters

Pinyin Tones Guide

4 tones with audio examples

Chinese Handwriting Guide

Daily practice routine

HSK 3.0 Complete GuideNew

New exam format explained

HSK 1 Common Mistakes

Avoid beginner errors

Topics & Culture

Chinese Numbers 1-1000

Count like a native

Time & Dates Guide

Tell time in Chinese

Family Members Guide

30+ family terms

2026 Fire Horse YearHot

Zodiac meaning & luck

Top 100 Characters

Most frequent, free PDF

View All Blog Posts

1.

Animated Stroke Order 祖

Watch the stroke order, then trace it yourself.

How to write 祖 — animated stroke order

50 learners practiced this

2.

Stroke Order Diagrams 祖

祖 stroke order diagram

3.

Character Breakdown

Left-Right

祖

祖=示altar+且moreover

The altar (示) honors the ancestors, with the phonetic hint from 且 (qiě) — the forefathers or origin.

Advertisements

4.

Free Printable Handwriting Practice with Stroke Order: 祖

Download and print worksheets to practice writing 祖

祖 handwriting practice sheet - portrait

FREE

祖 handwriting practice sheet - portrait orientation

Download Portrait PDF

祖 handwriting practice sheet - landscape orientation

Download Landscape PDF

5.

How to Use 祖

Common patterns, words, and short phrases that show how 祖 works in context.

Kinship: paternal grandparents

Used in terms for paternal grandparents.

祖父 • zǔ fù • grandfather [father's father] • HSK 6

HSK 6

zǔ祖

fù父

grandfather [father's father]

祖母 • zǔ mǔ • grandmother • HSK 3.0 · L7-9

HSK 3.0 · L7-9

zǔ祖

mǔ母

grandmother

Ancestral origin or legacy

Refers to ancestors, heritage, or native place.

祖先 • zǔ xiān • ancestors; forefathers • HSK 6

HSK 6

zǔ祖

xiān先

6.

HSK Vocabulary: 祖

HSK words that contain this character.

祖国 • zǔ guó • homeland; native land

HSK 6

zǔ祖

guó国

homeland; native land

祖宗 • zǔzong • ancestor / progenitor

HSK 3.0 · L7-9

zǔ祖

zong宗

ancestor / progenitor

7.

Example Sentences

Real-world example sentences demonstrating how 祖 is used in context

wǒ我

men们

rè热

ài爱

zì自

jǐ己

de的

zǔ祖

guó国

。

We love our motherland

wǒ我

men们

yào要

zūn尊

zhòng重

zǔ祖

xiān先

de的

chuán

zǔ祖

mǔ母

zuò做

de的

fàn饭

cài菜

tè特

bié别

hǎo

Information

Pinyinzǔ

Meaningancestor

Strokes9

Radical礻

Traditional祖

StructureLeft-Right

Frequency#1805

Zhuyinㄗㄨˇ

UnicodeU+7956

CangjieIFHGU

Advertisements

Zodiac CalculatorFind your zodiac animal

ancestors; forefathers

祖传 • zǔ chuán • handed down through generations / ancestral • HSK 3.0 · L7-9

HSK 3.0 · L7-9

zǔ祖

chuán传

handed down through generations / ancestral

祖籍 • zǔ jí • ancestral home / native place • HSK 3.0 · L7-9

HSK 3.0 · L7-9

zǔ祖

jí籍

ancestral home / native place

传

tǒng统

。

We should respect our ancestors' traditions

好

chī吃

。

The food cooked by grandmother is especially delicious

Related Characters

Explore characters by relationship

Same Sound

Characters pronounced "zu".

zǔ诅 zú卒 zú族 zú足 zǔ阻 zǔ组

View all "zu" characters →

Same Radical

Characters with radical "礻".

qí祁 cí祠 lù禄 huò祸 xiáng祥 sì祀

View all "礻" radical characters →