灭 meaning and stroke order
To extinguish or put out; to go out (of a fire etc); to exterminate or wipe out
How to write 灭, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 灭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to extinguish or put out
- to go out (of a fire etc)
- to exterminate or wipe out
- to drown
How 灭 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To cover 一 a flame 火.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 灭
A flat lid 一 is pressed down on top of a flame 火. Cover a fire and it goes out, so 灭 (miè) means to extinguish, and by extension to wipe something out completely.
灭 is used for putting out fires and lights, and in stronger words for destroying or wiping out, such as 消灭 (xiāomiè) and 灭绝 (mièjué). It can be transitive, as in 灭火 (mièhuǒ), or describe a fire going out by itself, as in 熄灭 (xīmiè). Example: 灯灭了。(Dēng miè le.) The light went out.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 灭 with 灾 (zāi, disaster), which puts 火 under a roof 宀 instead of a single flat line. Also keep the fourth tone: miè, not mié.
Common words with 灭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 消灭 | xiāomiè | to put an end to; to annihilate | HSK 6 |
| 毁灭 | huǐmiè | to perish; to ruin | HSK 7-9 |
| 灭绝 | mièjué | to become extinct; to die out; to lose (sth abstract) completely | HSK 7-9 |
| 灭亡 | mièwáng | to be destroyed; to become extinct; to perish; to die out; to destroy; to exterminate | HSK 7-9 |
| 歼灭 | jiānmiè | to wipe out; to crush | HSK 7-9 |
| 破灭 | pòmiè | to be shattered; to be annihilated (of hope, illusions etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 熄灭 | xīmiè | to stop burning; to go out (of fire) | |
| 灭火 | mièhuǒ | to extinguish a fire; firefighting | |
| 毁灭性 | huǐmièxìng | destructive; devastating | |
| 灭口 | mièkǒu | to kill sb to prevent them from divulging a secret; to silence sb | |
| 扑灭 | pūmiè | to eradicate; to extinguish | |
| 灭掉 | mièdiào | to eliminate | |
| 灭火器 | mièhuǒqì | fire extinguisher | |
| 自生自灭 | zìshēngzìmiè | to emerge and perish on its own; to run its course (idiom) |
灭 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 灭
How many strokes are in 灭?
灭 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 灭 mean?
灭 (miè) means to extinguish or put out; to go out (of a fire etc); to exterminate or wipe out. A common word with it is 消灭 (xiāomiè), meaning "to put an end to; to annihilate".
How do you pronounce 灭?
灭 is pronounced miè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 灭?
The radical of 灭 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 灭 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 灭?
The traditional form of 灭 is 滅. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 灭 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 灭 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 灭 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 灭 and 熄灭?
熄灭 (xīmiè) mainly describes a fire or light going out and sounds more complete and formal. 灭 alone is shorter and also covers the wider sense of destroying or exterminating.
Can 灭 be used for hopes or abstract things?
Yes. In words like 破灭 (pòmiè), it describes hopes or illusions being shattered, as in 希望破灭了 (xīwàng pòmiè le), the hope was shattered.