曦 meaning and stroke order
Sunshine; early dawn
How to write 曦, stroke by stroke
20 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 曦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) sunlight (usu. in early morning)
How 曦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sun.
日 gives the meaning and 羲 hints at the sound.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 曦
The sun 日 on the left gives the meaning of light, and 羲 (xī) on the right gives the sound. Picture the sun 日 rising next to 羲 to bring the first morning light.
曦 (xī) is a literary word for sunlight, especially early morning light, and it rarely stands alone in speech. You will mostly see it in 晨曦 (chénxī) and in written or poetic language. Example: 晨曦照在湖面上。(Chénxī zhào zài húmiàn shang.) The first rays of dawn shine on the lake.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 曦 with 羲 (xī) or 熙 (xī), which share the same sound. Remember that only 曦 has the sun 日 on the left, because it is about sunlight.
Common words with 曦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 晨曦 | chénxī | first rays of morning sun; first glimmer of dawn |
Questions about 曦
How many strokes are in 曦?
曦 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 曦 mean?
曦 (xī) means sunshine; early dawn. A common word with it is 晨曦 (chénxī), meaning "first rays of morning sun; first glimmer of dawn".
How do you pronounce 曦?
曦 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 曦?
The radical of 曦 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 曦 under this radical.
Can I use 曦 by itself to mean sunshine in conversation?
Not usually. In everyday speech people say 阳光 (yángguāng) for sunshine. 曦 sounds literary and appears mainly in fixed words like 晨曦 or in writing.
Why is 曦 common in Chinese given names?
Its meaning of early morning sunlight suggests hope, brightness, and new beginnings, so parents like it for names. It also has a soft, elegant sound and look.