嗅 meaning and stroke order
To sniff, to smell, to scent
How to write 嗅, stroke by stroke
13 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 嗅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to smell
- to sniff
- to nose
How 嗅 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To taste 口 an odor 臭; 臭 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嗅
嗅 puts a mouth 口 next to 臭 (odor), like taking in a smell through your face. 臭 itself shows 自 (nose) over 犬 (dog), so picture a dog's nose sniffing, and 臭 also hints at the sound xiù.
嗅 is a formal or written verb for sniffing or smelling something on purpose. In everyday speech people usually say 闻 (wén) instead, but 嗅 is common in set words like 嗅觉 (xiùjué, sense of smell). Example: 狗的嗅觉很灵敏。 (Gǒu de xiùjué hěn língmǐn.) A dog's sense of smell is very sharp.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 嗅 (xiù) with 臭 (chòu, smelly), which looks almost the same but has no 口 and means bad smelling. Remember that 嗅 is the action of smelling, while 臭 describes a bad smell.
Common words with 嗅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嗅觉 | xiùjué | sense of smell | HSK 7-9 |
嗅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 嗅
How many strokes are in 嗅?
嗅 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嗅 mean?
嗅 (xiù) means to sniff, to smell, to scent. A common word with it is 嗅觉 (xiùjué), meaning "sense of smell".
How do you pronounce 嗅?
嗅 is pronounced xiù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 嗅?
The radical of 嗅 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嗅 under this radical.
Is 嗅 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 嗅 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 嗅 and 闻?
Both mean to smell, but 闻 (wén) is the normal spoken word, as in 闻一闻 (wén yi wén, take a sniff). 嗅 sounds more literary or technical and appears mostly in writing and fixed words like 嗅觉.
Can 嗅 be used figuratively?
Yes. Like English sniff out, it can mean to sense something, as in 嗅到商机 (xiù dào shāngjī, to sniff out a business opportunity). This use is common in news and written Chinese.