腥 meaning and stroke order
Fishy (smell)
How to write 腥, 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 腥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fishy (smell)
How 腥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Meat.
⺼ gives the meaning and 星 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 腥
The meat radical ⺼ on the left tells you this is about flesh, and 星 (xīng) on the right gives the sound. Picture raw meat left out under the stars all night, and you can smell how fishy and rank it has become.
腥 describes the unpleasant smell of raw fish, raw meat, or blood. It often appears in cooking talk, where ginger and cooking wine are used to 去腥 (qù xīng), remove the fishy smell. Example: 这条鱼有点儿腥。(Zhè tiáo yú yǒudiǎnr xīng.) This fish smells a bit fishy.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 星 alone or swap in 猩 (xīng, as in 猩猩 orangutan), which has the animal radical 犭 instead of the meat radical ⺼. Remember that the smell comes from meat, so 腥 needs ⺼.
Common words with 腥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 血腥 | xuèxīng | reeking of blood; bloody (events) |
腥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 腥
How many strokes are in 腥?
腥 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 腥 mean?
腥 (xīng) means fishy (smell). A common word with it is 血腥 (xuèxīng), meaning "reeking of blood; bloody (events)".
How do you pronounce 腥?
腥 is pronounced xīng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 腥?
The radical of 腥 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 腥 under this radical.
Is 腥 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 腥 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 腥 and 臭 (chòu)?
腥 is specifically the raw, fishy smell of fish, seafood, meat, or blood. 臭 is a general word for anything that stinks, like garbage or rotten food.
How is 血腥 (xuèxīng) used?
血腥 literally means reeking of blood, but it is mostly used to describe violent or gory things, such as 血腥的电影 (xuèxīng de diànyǐng), a bloody, violent film. It sounds strong and is not used for mild situations.