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米

米 (mǐ) Chinese Character: rice; meter

6 strokes · HSK 1 · Radical 米

The small crossing strokes scatter like grains of rice.

Practice 米 in the interactive lesson

Chinese character story: Grains Spread Around a Center

米 (mǐ) first means rice or grain. Add 饭 to make 米饭, cooked rice, one of the most common food words in Chinese. 米 is also the standard word for the length unit “meter,” so context tells you whether the speaker is discussing food or distance. The scattered strokes around the center make a useful picture: several grains placed together become a small pile of rice.

🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes

Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.

米饭
米rice饭cooked meal=cooked rice
三米
三three米meter=three meters

Chinese character origin and etymology

米 is a pictographic character. Early forms represented small grains scattered in several directions, and the character became the name for husked grain, especially rice.

The six-stroke form spreads four diagonal marks around a central cross. 米 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.

米 in oracle bone script
Oracle bone script
米 in seal script
Seal script

Chinese character stroke order and structure

米 is written with 6 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.

  • 米 — rice; meter — learn the complete modern shape as one unit

Common usage and sentence patterns

The examples below show 米 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.

我们吃米饭。 Wǒmen chī mǐfàn. We eat rice.
桌上有一碗米饭。 Zhuō shàng yǒu yì wǎn mǐfàn. There is a bowl of rice on the table.
这棵树有三米高。 Zhè kē shù yǒu sān mǐ gāo. This tree is three meters tall.

Learning tips for 米

Learn the reading as one unit: mǐ, with the third tone: falling then rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “rice; meter,” and write the 6 strokes from memory.

Because 米 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 田 (tián, field); 吃 (chī, to eat); 本 (běn, root; book measure word). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.

Quick review checklist

  • Can you recognize 米 without pinyin?
  • Can you say mǐ with the correct tone and explain “rice; meter”?
  • Can you write all 6 strokes in order?
  • Can you use 米 in one short sentence?

Related characters

Continue learning Chinese characters

Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.

Sources and editorial note

HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.

Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.