淒 meaning and stroke order
Bitter, cold, dreary, miserable
How to write 淒, stroke by stroke
11 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 淒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- intense cold
- frigid
- dismal
- grim
- bleak
- sad
How 淒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 妻 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 淒
淒 combines water 氵 with 妻 (qī, wife), which gives the sound. Picture cold rain soaking a lonely wife waiting outside, a bleak and miserable scene.
淒 describes cold, dreary weather or a sad, desolate mood, and it appears mostly in written or literary words. In mainland simplified Chinese it is usually written 凄. Example: 风雨凄凄。(fēngyǔ qīqī) The wind and rain are cold and dreary.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 淒 with 妻 (qī, wife) because they sound identical. Remember that the water radical 氵 marks the cold, bleak meaning. Also, simplified texts use 凄 with the two-dot ice radical 冫, so do not mix the two forms within one text.
Common words with 淒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 淒涼 | qīliáng | mournful; miserable | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 淒
How many strokes are in 淒?
淒 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 淒 mean?
淒 (qī) means bitter, cold, dreary, miserable. A common word with it is 凄凉 (qīliáng), meaning "mournful; miserable".
How do you pronounce 淒?
淒 is pronounced qī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 淒?
The radical of 淒 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 淒 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 淒?
淒 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 凄, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 淒 and 凄?
They are the same word with the same pronunciation and meaning. 凄 with the ice radical 冫 is the standard simplified form. 淒 with the water radical 氵 is common in traditional texts.
How do you use 凄凉 (qīliáng)?
凄凉 describes a place or feeling that is desolate, lonely and sad. For example, 晚景凄凉 (wǎnjǐng qīliáng) means a lonely, miserable old age.