亵 meaning and stroke order
Dirty, ragged; slight, insult, disrespect
How to write 亵, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 亵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- obscene
- disrespectful
How 亵 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Hands grasping 执 and tearing apart a dress 衣.
Radical: 亠 (lid), shared by 18 characters on this site.
How to remember 亵
The character wraps 执 (zhí, to grasp) inside 衣 (yī, clothing), so picture hands grabbing and tearing at someone's dress. That rough, disrespectful act gives the meanings obscene and disrespectful.
亵 (xiè) rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It shows up in fixed words like 猥亵 (wěixiè, obscene, indecent assault) and the literary 亵渎 (xièdú, to profane). Example: 这是对神灵的亵渎。(Zhè shì duì shénlíng de xièdú.) This is a desecration of the gods.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as zhí or yī because of its parts, but the only reading is xiè with a falling fourth tone. Also notice that 衣 is split into a top and a bottom with 执 tucked in between, so do not write 衣 as one full block beside 执.
Common words with 亵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 亵渎 | xièdú | (literary) to blaspheme; to desecrate; to profane | |
| 猥亵 | wěixiè | obscene; indecent; to indecently assault |
亵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 亵
How many strokes are in 亵?
亵 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 亵 mean?
亵 (xiè) means dirty, ragged; slight, insult, disrespect. A common word with it is 亵渎 (xièdú), meaning "(literary) to blaspheme; to desecrate; to profane".
How do you pronounce 亵?
亵 is pronounced xiè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 亵?
The radical of 亵 is 亠, which carries the idea of "lid". Dictionaries list 亵 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 亵?
The traditional form of 亵 is 褻. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 亵 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 亵 a rude or vulgar word to use?
The character itself is not a swear word. It is a formal word that describes indecency or disrespect. 猥亵 is often used in legal and news language for indecent assault.
What is the difference between 亵渎 and 侮辱?
侮辱 (wǔrǔ) is the everyday word for insulting a person. 亵渎 is literary and usually means profaning something sacred or highly respected, such as a god, a tradition, or a memory.