夏 meaning and stroke order
Summer; the Xia or Hsia dynasty
How to write 夏, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 夏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- summer
How 夏 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 夊 (to go slowly), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 夏
夏 stacks 一 on top, 自 (self) in the middle, and 夂 (slow walking feet) at the bottom. Picture yourself walking slowly under the hot sun, because in summer everyone moves a little slower.
On its own 夏 rarely means summer in everyday speech. People say 夏天 (xiàtiān) or the more formal 夏季 (xiàjì). Example: 我最喜欢夏天。(Wǒ zuì xǐhuan xiàtiān.) I like summer the most.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 夏 (xià, summer) with 复 (fù, again), since both end in 夂. Also, 夏 is fourth tone, so do not mix it up with 下 (xià, down) in writing just because they sound the same.
Common words with 夏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
夏 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 夏
Learning 夏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 夏
How many strokes are in 夏?
夏 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 夏 mean?
夏 (xià) means summer; the Xia or Hsia dynasty. A common word with it is 夏天 (xiàtiān), meaning "summer".
How do you pronounce 夏?
夏 is pronounced xià, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 夏?
The radical of 夏 is 夊, which carries the idea of "to go slowly". Dictionaries list 夏 under this radical.
Is 夏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 夏 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
How do you say the four seasons in Chinese?
They are 春天 (chūntiān) spring, 夏天 (xiàtiān) summer, 秋天 (qiūtiān) autumn, and 冬天 (dōngtiān) winter. The formal versions swap 天 for 季, as in 夏季 (xiàjì).
Why does 夏 also refer to China or a dynasty?
夏 is the name of the Xia dynasty, traditionally considered China's first. Because of this, 华夏 (huáxià) is a literary name for China and the Chinese people. 夏 is also a Chinese surname.