Chinese Tattoo 星: Meaning, Strokes & Design Guide
The character 星 means "a star, planet; any point of light; 25th lunar mansion, determinative star α Hydrae (Alphard)" and is pronounced xīng. Below: its structure, the words it appears in, and how it works as a tattoo.
Quick facts
| Character | 星 |
| Pinyin | xīng |
| Meaning | a star, planet; any point of light; 25th lunar mansion, determinative star α Hydrae (Alphard) |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | ⽇ (No. 72) |
Words that contain 星
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明星 | míng xīng | star; celebrity | newest-5 |
| 星期 | xīng qī | week | newest-1 |
| 卫星 | wèi xīng | satellite | newest-7 |
| 星星 | xīng xing | (coll.) a star; the stars in the sky | newest-4 |
| 星座 | xīng zuò | constellation | newest-7 |
| 星期天 | Xīng qī tiān | Sunday | newest-1 |
Words and levels: HSK vocabulary list · meanings: CC-CEDICT.
Characters sharing the ⽇ radical
旺 wàng 明 míng 日 rì 昌 chāng 智 zhì
All of these share the ⽇ radical, so they are visually related — useful when you compare designs.
Placing 星
星 has 9 strokes — enough detail to survive a smaller placement, but not so much that it closes up. It is a practical size for a forearm, calf or upper arm. Agree the final stencil size with your artist before the appointment. Bring the stencil together with the pinyin and the meaning, and ask the artist to follow the stencil rather than redrawing the character freehand — freehand redrawing is the most common way a correct character loses a stroke and becomes a different one.
Design notes for 星
星 appears both on its own and inside compounds, so the sense depends on context; here it reads “a star, planet; any point of light; 25th lunar mansion, determinative star α Hydrae (Alphard)”. Regular script (楷书) keeps every stroke countable, which matters when a Chinese reader checks it. Avoid mirroring or rotating the character, and avoid very fine or cursive styles at small sizes, where strokes merge into a shape that reads as a different character.
Frequently asked questions
What does 星 mean?
星 (xīng) means “a star, planet; any point of light; 25th lunar mansion, determinative star α Hydrae (Alphard)”.
How is 星 pronounced?
星 is pronounced xīng in Mandarin.
How many strokes does 星 have?
星 has 9 strokes, under the ⽇ radical (No. 72).
How large should a 星 tattoo be?
With 9 strokes, 星 is open and holds detail well even at small sizes.
Which style works for 星?
Bold regular script (楷书) keeps the strokes clear. Semi-cursive (行书) adds flow but softens edges. Seal script looks classical but is harder for most readers to verify — use it only if a native reader has confirmed the rendering.
Is 星 common in modern Chinese?
It appears in everyday words such as 明星、星期、卫星, though it is more often used inside compounds than alone.
Should I use simplified or traditional 星?
星 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, so there is no form to choose.
Want 星 as a ready-to-use stencil with a native-checked meaning card, sized for your tattoo artist?
✦ Get this designNot ready? Browse more characters · All 150+ characters
Character data: Unihan (Unicode) · words: HSK vocabulary & CC-CEDICT · How we verify this