希 meaning and stroke order
Rare; to hope for, to strive for; to expect
How to write 希, stroke by stroke
7 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
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- 3
- 4
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- 7
Meaning of 希
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to hope
- to admire
- variant of 稀[xi1]
How 希 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 巾 (cloth), shared by 53 characters on this site.
How to remember 希
希 is 乂 on top of 布 (bù, cloth). Picture a cross 乂 stitched onto a piece of cloth 布, like a small flag you wave while you hope for something.
希 almost never stands alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in 希望 (xīwàng), which works as both a verb "to hope" and a noun "a hope". Example: 我希望明天不下雨。(Wǒ xīwàng míngtiān bú xià yǔ.) I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 希 with 布 (bù, cloth), since 希 contains the whole of 布 underneath. Remember that 希 has the extra 乂 cross on top. Also note that 希 is first tone (xī), not xí or xǐ.
Common words with 希
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; a hope; a wish | HSK 3 |
| 古希腊 | gǔXīlà | ancient Greece | |
| 一线希望 | yīxiànxīwàng | a gleam of hope |
希 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 希
Learning 希 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 希
How many strokes are in 希?
希 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 希 mean?
希 (xī) means rare; to hope for, to strive for; to expect. A common word with it is 希望 (xīwàng), meaning "to hope; a hope; a wish".
How do you pronounce 希?
希 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 希?
The radical of 希 is 巾, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 希 under this radical.
Is 希 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 希 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 希 and 稀?
稀 (xī) is the usual character for "rare" or "sparse", as in 稀少 (xīshǎo, scarce). 希 was once used as a variant of 稀 for this meaning. Today 希 mainly means "to hope".
Why is 希 used in the word for Greece?
In 希腊 (Xīlà, Greece), 希 is used only for its sound, to transliterate a foreign name. It has nothing to do with hope there. You will see it in 古希腊 (gǔ Xīlà), ancient Greece.