私 meaning and stroke order
Personal, private, secret; selfish
How to write 私, stroke by stroke
7 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
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 私
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) personal; private
- (bound form) selfish
- (bound form) clandestine
- (bound form) illicit
- (Internet slang) to send a private message to sb
How 私 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. 厶 provides the meaning and pronunciation.
Radical: 禾 (cereal), shared by 66 characters on this site.
How to remember 私
On the left is 禾 (hé), a grain plant, and on the right is 厶, which carries the idea of "private" and also gives the sound. Picture grain that you keep to yourself: it is your personal, private share.
私 (sī) rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 私人 (sīrén, private), 自私 (zìsī, selfish) and 隐私 (yǐnsī, privacy). Online, people also use it as a verb meaning to send someone a private message. Example: 这是我的私事。(Zhè shì wǒ de sīshì.) This is my personal matter.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 私 (sī) with 和 (hé), because both have 禾 on the left. Remember that 私 has the small closed 厶 on the right, while 和 has the open box 口. Also keep the first tone: sī, not sǐ or sì like 四.
Common words with 私
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私人 | sīrén | private; personal | HSK 5 |
| 隐私 | yǐnsī | secrets; private business | HSK 6 |
| 走私 | zǒusī | to smuggle; to have an illicit affair | HSK 6 |
| 自私 | zìsī | selfish; selfishness | HSK 7-9 |
| 私下 | sīxià | in private | HSK 7-9 |
| 私事 | sīshì | personal matters | HSK 7-9 |
| 无私 | wúsī | selfless; unselfish | HSK 7-9 |
| 私自 | sīzì | private; personal; secretly; without explicit approval | HSK 7-9 |
| 自私自利 | zìsī-zìlì | everything for self and selfish profit (idiom); with no regard for others; selfish | HSK 7-9 |
| 私有 | sīyǒu | private; privately-owned | HSK 7-9 |
| 私立 | sīlì | privately-run; private (school, hospital etc); to set up illegally | HSK 7-9 |
| 私营 | sīyíng | privately-owned; private | HSK 7-9 |
| 私房钱 | sīfángqián | secret purse; secret stash of money | HSK 7-9 |
| 私家车 | sījiāchē | private car | HSK 7-9 |
私 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 私
How many strokes are in 私?
私 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 私 mean?
私 (sī) means personal, private, secret; selfish. A common word with it is 私人 (sīrén), meaning "private; personal".
How do you pronounce 私?
私 is pronounced sī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 私?
The radical of 私 is 禾, which carries the idea of "cereal". Dictionaries list 私 under this radical.
Is 私 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 私 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 私人 and 个人?
私人 (sīrén) stresses private as opposed to public or official, as in 私人医生 (private doctor). 个人 (gèrén) means individual or personal, as opposed to a group, as in 个人意见 (personal opinion).
Does 私 always have a negative meaning?
No. In 私人 and 隐私 it is neutral and simply means private. It turns negative in words like 自私 (selfish), 走私 (to smuggle) and 私自 (without permission), where it suggests something hidden or improper.