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生 — to grow; to give birth; to produce

to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born

Pinyin
shēng
Strokes
5
HSK level
HSK 1
Handwriting
required

How to write 生: 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. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.

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

Build a printable practice sheet with 生

Words with 生 in the HSK syllabus: 74

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. 大学生dàxuéshēnguniversity student; college studentHSK 1
  2. 生病shēngbìngto fall illHSK 1
  3. 先生xiānshengteacher; gentleman; sir; mister; husband; doctorHSK 1
  4. 小学生xiǎoxuéshēngprimary school student; schoolchild; beginnerHSK 1
  5. 学生xuéshēngstudent; schoolchildHSK 1
  6. 医生yīshēngdoctor; medical practitionerHSK 1
  7. 中学生zhōngxuéshēngmiddle-school student; high school studentHSK 1
  8. 生日shēngrìbirthdayHSK 2
  9. 出生chūshēngto be bornHSK 3
  10. 发生fāshēngto happen; to occur; to take place; to break outHSK 3
  11. 留学生liúxuéshēngstudent studying abroad; returned student; foreign student; international studentHSK 3
  12. 男生nánshēngschoolboy; male student; boy; guyHSK 3
  13. 女生nǚshēngschoolgirl; female student; girlHSK 3
  14. 生活shēnghuóto live; life; livelihoodHSK 3
  15. 生气shēngqìto get angry; to be furious; vitality; livelinessHSK 3
  16. 卫生间wèishēngjiānbathroom; toilet; WCHSK 3
  17. 毕业生bìyèshēnggraduateHSK 4
  18. 产生chǎnshēngto arise; to come into being; to come aboutHSK 4
  19. 考生kǎoshēngexam candidateHSK 4
  20. 人生rénshēnglifeHSK 4
  21. 生shēngto grow; to give birth; to produce; to be bornHSK 4
  22. 生命shēngmìnglife; living being; creatureHSK 4
  23. 生意shēngyibusinessHSK 4
  24. 师生shīshēngteachers and studentsHSK 4
  25. 卫生wèishēnghygienic; sanitary; hygiene; sanitationHSK 4
  26. 研究生yánjiūshēnggraduate student; postgraduate studentHSK 4
  27. 一生yìshēngall one's life; throughout one's lifeHSK 4
  28. 陌生mòshēngstrange; unfamiliarHSK 5
  29. 生产shēngchǎnto produce; to manufacture; to give birth to a childHSK 5
  30. 生存shēngcúnto exist; to surviveHSK 5
  31. 生动shēngdòngvivid; livelyHSK 5
  32. 生物shēngwùorganism; living creature; life formHSK 5
  33. 生肖shēngxiàoone of the twelve animals symbolic of the earthly branches 地支[di4 zhi1]HSK 5
  34. 生长shēngzhǎngto grow; to grow up; to be brought upHSK 5
  35. 诞生dànshēngto be bornHSK 6
  36. 花生huāshēngpeanutHSK 6
  37. 生成shēngchéngto generate; to produce; to form; to be formed; to come into beingHSK 6
  38. 生命力shēngmìnglìvitalityHSK 6
  39. 生态shēngtàiecology; ecological state; ecosystemHSK 6
  40. 维生素wéishēngsùvitaminHSK 6

And 34 more across the higher levels — the full lists are on the level pages.

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.