chǐ zi
règle
Practice writing with stroke order guidance, audio pronunciation, and interactive exercises in our mobile app.
Step-by-step stroke order animations
Native speaker audio pronunciation
Interactive writing recognition
直尺 (zhí chǐ)
ruler
量尺 (liàng chǐ)
measuring stick
卷尺 (juǎnchǐ)
tape measure
皮尺 (píchǐ)
tape measure
The Chinese word 尺子 (chǐzi) for "ruler" is composed of two characters: 尺 (chǐ) and 子 (zi). The character 尺 originally meant "foot" and was used as a unit of measurement. It is composed of the radical 丨 (gǔn), which represents a vertical line, and the character 寸 (cùn), which means "inch". The character 子 (zi) is a suffix that indicates a small or young object. Together, 尺子 (chǐzi) literally means "small foot" and refers to a measuring tool that is about the length of a foot.
