癡 meaning and stroke order
Silly, foolish, idiotic
How to write 癡, stroke by stroke
19 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 癡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 痴[chi1]
How 癡 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 疑 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 癡
Under the sickness radical 疒 sits 疑 (yí, doubt). Picture someone so sick with doubt and confusion that they act foolish, and you have 癡 (chī).
癡 is a variant of 痴 (chī), which is the form used in mainland simplified writing today. You will mostly see 癡 in traditional texts, in Taiwan or Hong Kong, or in older writing. Example: 如癡如醉 (rú chī rú zuì), to be completely captivated, as if entranced or drunk.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read the 疑 inside as yí and pronounce the whole character yí, but 癡 is read chī. Also do not confuse it with 疾 (jí, illness), which shares the 疒 radical but has 矢 inside.
Common words with 癡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 如醉如癡 | rúzuì-rúchī | see 如癡如醉|如痴如醉[ru2 chi1 ru2 zui4] | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 癡
How many strokes are in 癡?
癡 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 癡 mean?
癡 (chī) means silly, foolish, idiotic. A common word with it is 如醉如痴 (rúzuì-rúchī), meaning "see 如癡如醉|如痴如醉[ru2 chi1 ru2 zui4]".
How do you pronounce 癡?
癡 is pronounced chī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 癡?
The radical of 癡 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 癡 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 癡?
癡 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 痴, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Should I write 癡 or 痴?
In mainland China, write 痴, the standard form. 癡 is common in traditional-character writing, so use it if you are writing in traditional script.
Does 癡 always mean stupid?
Not always. In phrases like 如癡如醉 it means being infatuated or totally absorbed, so it can describe deep passion rather than foolishness.