嗇 meaning and stroke order
Miserly, stingy, thrifty
How to write 嗇, 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 嗇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- stingy
How 嗇 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嗇
Picture someone who sits (坐) on top of their storehouse (回) and refuses to move or share. 嗇 (sè) is that person guarding every grain, which is why it means stingy.
嗇 is the traditional form, and today it almost always appears in the word 吝嗇 (lìnsè, simplified 吝啬), meaning stingy or miserly. It rarely stands alone in modern speech. Example: 他對朋友很吝嗇。(Tā duì péngyou hěn lìnsè.) He is very stingy with his friends.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 嗇 with 牆 (qiáng, wall) or 穡 (sè, harvest), which contain 嗇 as a component. Also note that in 吝嗇 the tone is fourth tone sè, and the word is often pronounced with a neutral tone in casual speech.
Common words with 嗇
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Characters that contain 嗇
Learning 嗇 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 嗇
How many strokes are in 嗇?
嗇 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 嗇 mean?
嗇 (sè) means miserly, stingy, thrifty. A common word with it is 吝啬 (lìnsè), meaning "stingy; mean; miserly".
How do you pronounce 嗇?
嗇 is pronounced sè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 嗇?
The radical of 嗇 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嗇 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 嗇?
嗇 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 啬, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 吝嗇 an insult in Chinese?
Yes, it is a negative word, similar to calling someone cheap or stingy. If you want to praise someone for saving money, use 節儉 (jiéjiǎn, thrifty) instead.
How do you say 'miser' or 'cheapskate' using 嗇?
Use 吝嗇鬼 (lìnsèguǐ), literally a stingy ghost. It is a common, slightly humorous way to call someone a penny-pincher.