汜 meaning and stroke order
A stream which forks and then rejoins the main branch
How to write 汜, 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.
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Meaning of 汜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- stream which returns after branching
How 汜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 巳 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 汜
The water radical 氵 tells you this is about a stream, and 巳 (sì) gives the sound. Picture 巳 as a curl of water that bends away from the river and loops back to join it again.
汜 (sì) is a rare literary character for a side stream that splits off and then flows back into the main river. You mostly meet it in classical texts and in place names, such as 汜水 (Sìshuǐ), a river and historic town in Henan. Example: 江有汜。(Jiāng yǒu sì.) The river has a branch that returns to it.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 汜 with 氾 (fàn, to overflow), because the right sides 巳 and 㔾 look almost the same. In 汜 the right part 巳 closes at the top left, so it reads sì like 巳 and 祀 (sì).
Questions about 汜
How many strokes are in 汜?
汜 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 汜 mean?
汜 (sì) means a stream which forks and then rejoins the main branch.
How do you pronounce 汜?
汜 is pronounced sì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 汜?
The radical of 汜 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 汜 under this radical.
Where does the phrase 江有汜 come from?
It is the title and opening line of a poem in the Book of Songs (诗经 Shījīng). The poem uses a river with a returning side stream as an image, which is why 汜 is known to readers of classical Chinese.
Do I need to learn 汜 for everyday Chinese?
No. It does not appear in daily conversation or ordinary modern writing. It is useful mainly for reading classical poetry, historical place names like 汜水 (Sìshuǐ), and some personal names.