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正 — straight; upright; proper

straight; upright; proper; main; principal; to correct

Pinyin
zhèng · zhēng
Strokes
5
HSK level
HSK 1
Handwriting
recognition only

This character has more than one reading — zhèng, zhēng — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.

How to write 正: 5 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. The syllabus asks you to recognise this character rather than write it by hand.

正 — 5 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 正

Words with 正 in the HSK syllabus: 31

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

  1. 正在zhèngzàito be in the process of; to be currently ...-ingHSK 1
  2. 正zhèngstraight; upright; proper; main; principalHSK 2
  3. 真正zhēnzhènggenuine; real; true; really; indeedHSK 4
  4. 正常zhèngchángnormal; regularHSK 4
  5. 正好zhènghǎojust; just right; just enough; to happen toHSK 4
  6. 正确zhèngquècorrect; sound; right; properHSK 4
  7. 正式zhèngshìformal; officialHSK 4
  8. 反正fǎnzhènganyway; in any caseHSK 5
  9. 改正gǎizhèngto correct; to amend; to put right; correctionHSK 5
  10. 正如zhèngrújust as; precisely asHSK 5
  11. 公正gōngzhèngjust; fair; equitableHSK 6
  12. 纠正jiūzhèngto correct; to make rightHSK 6
  13. 正规zhèngguīregular; according to standardsHSK 6
  14. 正面zhèngmiànfront; obverse side; right side; positive; directHSK 6
  15. 正义zhèngyìjustice; righteousness; just; righteousHSK 6
  16. 不正之风búzhèngzhīfēngunhealthy tendencyHSK 7–9
  17. 端正duānzhèngupright; regular; proper; correctHSK 7–9
  18. 改邪归正gǎixié-guīzhèngto mend one's ways; to turn over a new leafHSK 7–9
  19. 更正gēngzhèngto correct; to make a correctionHSK 7–9
  20. 矫正jiǎozhèngto correct; to rectify; to cure; rectificationHSK 7–9
  21. 廉正liánzhèngupright and honest; integrityHSK 7–9
  22. 修正xiūzhèngto revise; to amend; to rectifyHSK 7–9
  23. 正月zhēngyuèfirst month of the lunar yearHSK 7–9
  24. 正版zhèngbǎngenuine; legalHSK 7–9
  25. 正当zhèngdànghonest; reasonable; fair; sensibleHSK 7–9
  26. 正经zhèngjingdecent; honorable; proper; seriousHSK 7–9
  27. 正能量zhèngnéngliàngpositive energy; positivityHSK 7–9
  28. 正气zhèngqìhealthy atmosphere; moral spiritHSK 7–9
  29. 正视zhèngshìto face squarely; to meet head on; to face up toHSK 7–9
  30. 正直zhèngzhíupright; upstanding; honestHSK 7–9
  31. 正宗zhèngzōngorthodox school; fig. traditional; old schoolHSK 7–9

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.