瑕 meaning and stroke order
Fault, default; a flaw in a gem
How to write 瑕, stroke by stroke
13 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 瑕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- blemish
- flaw in jade
How 瑕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Jade.
王 gives the meaning and 叚 hints at the sound.
Radical: 王 (king), shared by 104 characters on this site.
How to remember 瑕
The left side 王 here stands for jade (玉), and the right side 叚 (jiǎ) gives the sound. Picture a piece of jade with a tiny crack in it, and you have 瑕 (xiá), a flaw in a gem.
瑕 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It usually shows up in 瑕疵 (xiácī), meaning a defect or flaw, and in the set phrase 完美无瑕 (wánměiwúxiá), meaning flawless. Example: 这件衣服有点儿瑕疵。(Zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎnr xiácī.) This piece of clothing has a small flaw.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 瑕 with 暇 (xiá, free time, as in 无暇 wúxiá "have no time"), which has the same sound and right side. Remember that 瑕 with 王 (jade) is about flaws, while 暇 with 日 (sun, day) is about time.
Common words with 瑕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
瑕 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 瑕
How many strokes are in 瑕?
瑕 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 瑕 mean?
瑕 (xiá) means fault, default; a flaw in a gem. A common word with it is 瑕疵 (xiácī), meaning "blemish; flaw".
How do you pronounce 瑕?
瑕 is pronounced xiá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 瑕?
The radical of 瑕 is 王, which carries the idea of "king". Dictionaries list 瑕 under this radical.
Is 瑕疵 only used for jade and gems?
No. 瑕疵 is used for flaws in almost anything, such as products, clothing, plans, or even a person's record. It sounds a bit more formal than 毛病 (máobìng).
What does the idiom 瑕不掩瑜 mean?
瑕不掩瑜 (xiá bù yǎn yú) means the flaws do not hide the jade's beauty. People use it to say that something's small faults do not outweigh its overall good qualities.