心 meaning and stroke order

xīn

Heart; mind; intention

HSK 2 4 strokes Radical 心

Strokes4

Pinyinxīn

ToneTone 1

Frequency#86

Printable worksheet Practice all HSK 2 characters

How to write 心, stroke by stroke

4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.

Meaning of 心

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

xīnfirst tone (high and level)

heart
mind
intention
center
core

How 心 is built

Pictographic character. A heart.

How to remember 心

心 (xīn) is a picture of a heart. The curved stroke is the body of the heart and the three dots are like drops of blood or beats around it.

心 rarely stands alone in daily speech. It mostly appears in words about feelings and the mind, like 开心 (kāixīn) and 放心 (fàngxīn), and can also mean center, as in 中心 (zhōngxīn). Example: 路上小心。(Lùshang xiǎoxīn.) Be careful on the way.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 心 (xīn) with 必 (bì, must), which adds a slanted stroke cutting through the heart. Also keep the first tone in 心 and do not mix it up with 新 (xīn, new), which sounds the same but means something different.

Common words with 心

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Level
小心	xiǎoxīn	to be careful; to take care	HSK 2
开心	kāixīn	to feel happy; to rejoice	HSK 2
关心	guānxīn	to be concerned about; to care about	HSK 2
中心	zhōngxīn	center; heart; core	HSK 2
放心	fàngxīn	to feel relieved; to feel reassured	HSK 2
心情	xīnqíng	mood; frame of mind	HSK 2
心里	xīnlǐ	chest; heart; mind	HSK 2
心中	xīnzhōng	central point; in one's thoughts	HSK 2
信心	xìnxīn	confidence; faith (in sb or sth)	HSK 2
伤心	shāngxīn	to grieve; to be broken-hearted	HSK 3
内心	nèixīn	heart; innermost being; (math.) incenter	HSK 3
决心	juéxīn	determination; resolution	HSK 3
爱心	àixīn	compassion; kindness	HSK 3
担心	dānxīn	anxious; worried	HSK 4

心 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

过guò马mǎ路lù小xiǎo心xīn点diǎn总zǒng没méi有yǒu错cuò的de。

You cannot be too careful in crossing a street.

你nǐ有yǒu什shén么me不bù开kāi心xīn的de事shì

What are you unhappy about?

是shì什shén么me让ràng你nǐ笑xiào得de这zhè么me开kāi心xīn？

What's making you laugh so hard?

我wǒ把bǎ心xīn里lǐ话huà说shuō出chū来lái了le。

I spoke from the heart.

她tā不bù把bǎ我wǒ们men的de警jǐng告gào放fàng在zài心xīn上shàng。

She paid no heed to our warnings.

Characters that contain 心

Learning 心 makes these easier to recognize and write.

想xiǎngto think 怎zěnwhat? why? how?意yìthought 感gǎnto feel 德dévirtue 思sīto think 您nínyou 必bìcertainly 总zǒnggeneral 息xīto end 愿yuànwish 忘wàngto forget 恩ēnkindness 恶èevil 恐kǒngfearful 念niànto read 聽tīngto hear 急jíurgent

Questions about 心

How many strokes are in 心?

心 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 心 mean?

心 (xīn) means heart; mind; intention. A common word with it is 小心 (xiǎoxīn), meaning "to be careful; to take care".

How do you pronounce 心?

心 is pronounced xīn, in the first tone (high and level).

Is 心 on the HSK exam?

Yes. 心 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.

Why does 忄 look different from 心 in some characters?

忄 is the side form of 心 used on the left of characters like 情 (qíng) and 快 (kuài). Both forms point to feelings or thoughts. At the bottom of a character, as in 想 (xiǎng), the full 心 shape is kept.

Does 心 mean the physical heart or the emotional heart?

It can mean both, but in everyday Chinese it usually refers to feelings and the mind. For the organ, people often say 心脏 (xīnzàng). So 心里 (xīnlǐ) usually means in one's mind, not inside the organ.