What does 些 mean in Chinese?

些 (xiē) means "some" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 些?

些 is written with 8 strokes, starting from the 二 (two) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 些?

The radical of 些 is 二 (two, Kangxi radical #7). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 二.

How many strokes does 些 have?

The Chinese character 些 has 8 strokes.

What HSK level is 些?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 些 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

些 (xiē): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

些

xiē

some

HSK 1 character 8 strokes Radical: 二 (two)

Quick Answer

些 (xiē) means "some" with 8 strokes, radical 二 (two), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 些 →Animated stroke-order for 些 →

Pronunciation

xiē

Meaning

Primary: some

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

些 does not appear in oracle bone script and is a later phono-semantic compound. It combines 此 (cǐ, 'this') as the phonetic component with 二 below, which in some analyses represents a variant of 止 (foot) or simply functions as a graphic filler. The character was coined relatively late to write a grammatical particle.

Form evolution

Because 些 is a post-oracle-bone formation, its earliest clear attestations are in seal script, where 此 sits clearly above 二. Clerical script squared off the strokes of 此 and regularised the lower element. The modern standard form preserves this two-part structure essentially unchanged from the clerical version.

How the meaning evolved

In Classical Chinese 些 appears as a sentence-final particle, most famously in the Chu Ci (楚辞), where it marks the end of incantations in the 'Zhao Hun' (招魂). By Middle Chinese it had been repurposed as a quantifier meaning 'some, a few', and this is its dominant modern sense in 一些 (yìxiē, 'some') and 这些 (zhèxiē, 'these').

Cultural note

Learners often treat 些 as if it were a standalone noun, but it is almost always bound to a preceding demonstrative or numeral: 一些, 这些, 那些, 哪些. The Chu Ci usage survives only as a literary curiosity and is never encountered in modern speech.