Characters · 6 strokes
在
zài at, to be somewhere
Where the shape comes from
土, earth, with strokes above it. Being on the ground, in a place.
土earth
Write it
Watch the order first, then trace it with the guide, then write it from memory. The model comes back over your strokes so you can see where the shape drifted.
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Stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi via Hanzi Writer, Arphic Public License.
Three words that use it
现在
xiànzài
now
在家
zài jiā
at home
正在
zhèngzài
right now
Watch out: the mistake people make
It does two different jobs: a place before a noun, and an action in progress before a verb.