正

2 readings · tap one to hear it

straight; upright; proper; main; principal; to correct; to rectify; exactly; just (at that time); right (in that place); (math.) positive

Make a writing worksheet

HSK 3.0: Level 1
Old HSK: Level 2
Strokes: 5
Radical: 止 +1
Structure: Top–bottom 上下
Traditional: 正
Common rank: #172
Unicode: U+6B63

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 正 is formed

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A foot 止 stopping in the right place 一

Components 一止

How to remember it

correct · Heisig RSH #387

一 one + footprint

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 正

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
正在	zhèng zài	to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing
中正区	Zhōng zhèng Qū	Zhongzheng District of Taipei 台北市[Tai2 bei3 Shi4] or Keelung 基隆市[Ji1 long2 Shi4]
正安县	Zhèng ān Xiàn	Zheng'an, a county in Zunyi City 遵義市\|遵义市[Zun1 yi4 Shi4], Guizhou
正电子	zhèng diàn zǐ	positron (antiparticle of the electron)
不正之风	bù zhèng zhī fēng	unhealthy tendency
正子	zhèng zǐ	positron; also called 正電子\|正电子[zheng4 dian4 zi3]
正多面体	zhèng duō miàn tǐ	regular polyhedron
大正	Dà zhèng	Taishō, Japanese era name, corresponding to the reign (1912-1926) of emperor Yoshihito 嘉仁[…
正人	zhèng rén	upstanding person; upright person
中正	Zhōng zhèng	adopted name of Chiang Kai-shek 蔣介石\|蒋介石[Jiang3 Jie4 shi2]
中正	zhōng zhèng	fair and honest
正中	zhèng zhōng	middle; center; right in the middle or center; nub
正生	zhèng shēng	starring male role in a Chinese opera
正定县	Zhèng dìng Xiàn	Zhengding, a county in Shijiazhuang City 石家莊市\|石家庄市[Shi2 jia1 zhuang1 Shi4], Hebei
金正日	Jīn Zhèng rì	Kim Jong-il (1942-2011), Dear Leader of North Korea 1982-2011
光明正大	guāng míng zhèng dà	(of a person) honorable; not devious; (of a behavior) fair and aboveboard; without tricks;…
正大光明	zhèng dà guāng míng	just and honorable
方正县	Fāng zhèng Xiàn	Fangzheng, a county in Harbin City 哈爾濱市\|哈尔滨市[Ha1 er3 bin1 Shi4], Heilongjiang
正阳县	Zhèng yáng Xiàn	Zhengyang, a county in Zhumadian City 駐馬店市\|驻马店市[Zhu4 ma3 dian4 Shi4], Henan
正化	zhèng huà	normalization; to normalize

Sound family

These characters use 正 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
正 sound part	zhèng	straight, right, proper, correct, just, true
政	zhèng	government, politics
症	zhèng	ailment, disease, illness
征	zhēng	to summon, to recruit; levy, tax; journey; invasion
整	zhěng	neat, orderly, whole; to repair, to mend
怔	zhēng	frightened, startled, terrified
罡	gāng	the stars at the end of the Big Dipper
徵	zhǐ	to summon, to recruit; levy, tax; journey; invasion
钲	zhēng	an army's marching gong