茜 meaning and stroke order
Reed, madder; Rubia cordifolia
How to write 茜, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 茜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) Indian madder; munjeet (Rubia cordifolia)
- (bound form) madder red; dark red; alizarin crimson
- used in the transliteration of people's names
How 茜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 西 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 茜
The grass radical 艹 on top marks a plant, and 西 (xī) below gives the sound. Picture a red-rooted plant growing in the west, the madder used to make dark red dye.
茜 (qiàn) appears mostly in bound forms about the madder plant or its deep red color, such as 茜草 (qiàncǎo, madder) and 茜红 (qiànhóng, madder red). It is also popular in girls' names. Example: 她叫王茜。(Tā jiào Wáng Qiàn.) Her name is Wang Qian.
Common mistake: Learners often read 茜 as xī because of the phonetic 西, but the usual reading is qiàn with a fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 栖 (qī, to perch), which has the tree radical 木 on the left instead of grass on top.
Questions about 茜
How many strokes are in 茜?
茜 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 茜 mean?
茜 (qiàn) means reed, madder; Rubia cordifolia.
How do you pronounce 茜?
茜 is pronounced qiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 茜?
The radical of 茜 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 茜 under this radical.
When is 茜 pronounced xī instead of qiàn?
The xī reading is used in transliterating foreign names, for example 茜茜 (Xīxī) for Sissi. In Chinese given names and in words about the plant or color, read it qiàn.
Is 茜 a common character in names?
Yes, 茜 (qiàn) is a fairly common character in Chinese women's given names, such as 李茜 (Lǐ Qiàn). It suggests a lovely red color and a plant, which gives it a gentle, pretty feel.