犀 meaning and stroke order
Rhinoceros; sharp, tempered
How to write 犀, stroke by stroke
12 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 犀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- rhinoceros
- sharp
How 犀 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. An ox 牛 with a tail 尾.
Radical: 牛 (ox), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 犀
Picture a big ox 牛 (niú) standing under a tail 尾 (wěi): a heavy, ox-like beast with a tail is the rhinoceros 犀 (xī).
犀 rarely stands alone. It appears mainly in 犀牛 (xīniú, rhinoceros) and in 犀利 (xīlì), which describes sharp, incisive words, eyes, or style. Example: 他的评论很犀利。(Tā de pínglùn hěn xīlì.) His comments are very sharp.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom as 水 because 尾 normally ends in 毛, but in 犀 the 毛 part is replaced by 牛. Also keep the first tone xī, not xǐ.
Common words with 犀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 犀牛 | xīniú | rhinoceros | |
| 犀利 | xīlì | sharp; incisive |
犀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 犀
Learning 犀 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 犀
How many strokes are in 犀?
犀 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 犀 mean?
犀 (xī) means rhinoceros; sharp, tempered. A common word with it is 犀牛 (xīniú), meaning "rhinoceros".
How do you pronounce 犀?
犀 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 犀?
The radical of 犀 is 牛, which carries the idea of "ox". Dictionaries list 犀 under this radical.
Can 犀利 be used for physical objects like knives?
It can, but in modern Chinese 犀利 is mostly used figuratively for language, writing, opinions, or a piercing gaze. For a sharp knife, people usually say 锋利 (fēnglì) or 快 (kuài).
Why does the word for rhinoceros include 牛 twice in 犀牛?
犀 already contains 牛, and 犀牛 adds 牛 again as a category word meaning a large ox-like animal. Modern Chinese prefers two-syllable words, so 犀牛 is the normal everyday term.