玺 meaning and stroke order
Imperial signet, royal signet
How to write 玺, stroke by stroke
10 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
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- 10
Meaning of 玺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ruler's seal
How 玺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Jade.
玉 gives the meaning and 尔 hints at the sound.
Radical: 玉 (jade), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 玺
The top part 尔 (ěr) gives the sound, and the bottom 玉 (yù, jade) gives the meaning. Picture a ruler's seal carved from a block of jade, with 尔 sitting on top like the handle.
玺 (xǐ) is a formal, historical word for the seal of an emperor or king, not an everyday stamp. It appears mostly in compounds like 玉玺 (yùxǐ, imperial jade seal) and 国玺 (guóxǐ, seal of state). Example: 皇帝用玉玺盖章。(Huángdì yòng yùxǐ gài zhāng.) The emperor stamped it with the imperial jade seal.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 王 instead of 玉 and forget the dot, since 王 is how jade usually looks on the left side of characters. In 玺 the full 玉 with its dot sits at the bottom. Also note the third tone xǐ, the same sound as 洗 (xǐ, to wash).
Questions about 玺
How many strokes are in 玺?
玺 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 玺 mean?
玺 (xǐ) means imperial signet, royal signet.
How do you pronounce 玺?
玺 is pronounced xǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 玺?
The radical of 玺 is 玉, which carries the idea of "jade". Dictionaries list 玺 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 玺?
The traditional form of 玺 is 璽. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 玺 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 玺 and 印?
印 (yìn) is the general word for any seal or stamp, and it is used for ordinary people and offices. 玺 (xǐ) is reserved for the seal of a ruler or a state, so it carries a sense of supreme authority.
Is 玺 used in modern Chinese at all?
Yes, but mainly in historical dramas, museum descriptions, and news about antiques, such as 传国玉玺 (chuánguó yùxǐ, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm). You would not use it for a company stamp or a personal name seal.