死 meaning and stroke order
To die; impassable; uncrossable
How to write 死, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 死
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to die
- impassable
- uncrossable
- inflexible
- rigid
- extremely
How 死 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person kneeling 匕 before a corpse 歹.
Radical: 歹 (corpse), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 死
Picture a person kneeling 匕 beside a corpse 歹 to mourn. The left part 歹 shows the body, and the kneeling figure on the right tells you someone has died.
死 (sǐ) means to die, but in everyday speech it also works after adjectives to mean extremely, as in 累死了 (lèi sǐ le, I'm dead tired). It appears in words like 死亡 (sǐwáng, death) and 打死 (dǎsǐ, to beat to death). Example: 我饿死了。(Wǒ è sǐ le.) I'm starving.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 死 (sǐ, to die) with 四 (sì, four), since only the tone differs, which is also why the number four is considered unlucky. Also, the right part is 匕, not 七 (qī), so its stroke does not cross through.
Common words with 死
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 死亡 | sǐwáng | to die; death | HSK 6 |
| 生死 | shēngsǐ | life or death | HSK 7-9 |
| 死心 | sǐxīn | to give up; to admit failure | HSK 7-9 |
| 死心塌地 | sǐxīn-tādì | to be hell-bent on; dead set on sth; unswerving | HSK 7-9 |
| 该死 | gāisǐ | Damn it!; damned | |
| 杀死 | shāsǐ | to kill | |
| 死去 | sǐqù | to die | |
| 打死 | dǎsǐ | to kill; to beat to death | |
| 要死 | yàosǐ | extremely; awfully | |
| 死者 | sǐzhě | the dead; the deceased | |
| 害死 | hàisǐ | to kill; to cause death | |
| 死刑 | sǐxíng | death penalty; capital punishment | |
| 饿死 | èsǐ | to starve to death; to be very hungry | |
| 淹死 | yānsǐ | to drown |
死 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 死
Learning 死 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 死
How many strokes are in 死?
死 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 死 mean?
死 (sǐ) means to die; impassable; uncrossable. A common word with it is 死亡 (sǐwáng), meaning "to die; death".
How do you pronounce 死?
死 is pronounced sǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 死?
The radical of 死 is 歹, which carries the idea of "corpse". Dictionaries list 死 under this radical.
Is 死 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 死 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.
Is it rude to say 死 directly in Chinese?
In serious contexts people often soften it with 去世 (qùshì, to pass away) or 走了 (zǒu le). Using 死 about someone's relative can sound blunt.
What does 死 mean in phrases like 死路 or 死心眼?
Here 死 means blocked or rigid. 死路 (sǐlù) is a dead end, and 死心眼 (sǐxīnyǎn) describes a stubborn, inflexible person.