Chinese Symbol for Life
生
life, to be born
5 strokes
Meaning
Life, to be born, to grow. It appears in 生日 (birthday) and 学生 (student).
Where the character comes from
A picture of a plant sprouting from the ground.
Stroke order
Stroke order could not be loaded.
Stroke order data: Make Me a Hanzi / hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License)
Words with 生
Using 生 in a tattoo or design
For "life" as in being alive, 生命 is the usual word. 生 alone also means "raw" or "unfamiliar".