What does 写 mean in Chinese?

写 (xiě) means "to write" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 写?

写 is written with 5 strokes, starting from the 冖 (cover) 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 写?

The radical of 写 is 冖 (cover, Kangxi radical #14). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 冖.

How many strokes does 写 have?

The Chinese character 写 has 5 strokes.

What HSK level is 写?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 写 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

写 (xiě): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

写

xiě

to write

HSK 1 character 5 strokes Radical: 冖 (cover)

Quick Answer

写 (xiě) means "to write" with 5 strokes, radical 冖 (cover), HSK 1 on the new exam.

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

Pronunciation

xiě

Meaning

Primary: to write

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

写 has no oracle-bone attestation because it is the simplified form of 寫, which itself appears only from the bronze era onward. The traditional 寫 is a phono-semantic compound: 宀 (roof) as semantic indicator, with 舃 (a type of shoe or magpie) as phonetic. The 宀 element alludes to placing or depositing things under a roof, the original meaning of the word.

Form evolution

Bronze and seal forms of 寫 preserve the full 舃 phonetic under the 宀 roof, with many internal strokes. Clerical script regularises but keeps the complexity. The mainland simplification in the 1950s replaced the entire lower element with 与 (itself a simplification of 與) to give the five-stroke 写, while Taiwan and Hong Kong still use 寫.

How the meaning evolved

The earliest recorded sense of 寫 is 'to place, to set down, to transfer', as in pouring liquid from one vessel to another or depositing goods. From 'transfer' it extended to 'copy out, transcribe' and then to the general modern sense 'to write'. The meaning 'to depict, to describe' (as in 描写) is a further metaphorical extension.

Cultural note

The compound 写意 (xiěyì) in Chinese painting means 'freehand, expressive' brushwork, contrasted with 工笔 'meticulous' style; the 写 here preserves the older sense of 'set down, express' rather than literal writing. Learners writing traditional characters should note 寫 is one of the most stroke-heavy common characters at sixteen strokes.

Mnemonic

Under a roof, giving words — to write

Decomposition

写=冖radical+与component

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	xiě
Meanings	to write
Stroke count	5 strokes
Radical	冖 (#14: cover)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#600 most common

Example sentences

我想写汉字。
Wǒ xiǎng xiě hànzì.
I want to write Chinese characters.
From 写 (HSK 1)
她从小就对写作很感兴趣。
Tā cóngxiǎo jiù duì xiězuò hěn gǎn xìngqù.
She has been interested in writing since childhood.
From 写作 (HSK 5)
这篇文章生动地描写了乡村生活的美好景象。
Zhè piān wénzhāng shēngdòng de miáoxiě le xiāngcūn shēnghuó de měihǎo jǐngxiàng.
This article vividly describes the beautiful scenery of rural life.
From 描写 (HSK 6)