褻 meaning and stroke order
Dirty, ragged; slight, insult, disrespect
How to write 褻, stroke by stroke
17 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 褻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- obscene
- disrespectful
How 褻 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Cloth.
衣 gives the meaning and 埶 hints at the sound.
Radical: 衣 (cloth), shared by 33 characters on this site.
How to remember 褻
褻 (xiè) is 衣 (clothing) split open with 埶 placed in the middle, giving the sound. Think of everyday clothes worn close to the body, too private and casual to show in public, which leads to the ideas of improper and disrespectful.
褻 is the traditional form of 亵 and almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It lives in formal or legal words like 亵渎 (xièdú, to desecrate) and 猥亵 (wěixiè, indecent). Example: 不要亵渎神圣的地方。(Bù yào xièdú shénshèng de dìfang.) Do not desecrate a sacred place.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as zhì or yì because of the 埶 part, which also appears in 勢 (shì) and 藝 (yì). The correct reading is xiè, with a fourth tone. Also remember that 衣 is split into a top and a bottom with 埶 between them, so it is not written as a simple left-right character.
Common words with 褻
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 褻瀆 | xièdú | (literary) to blaspheme; to desecrate; to profane | |
| 猥褻 | wěixiè | obscene; indecent; to indecently assault |
Questions about 褻
How many strokes are in 褻?
褻 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 褻 mean?
褻 (xiè) means dirty, ragged; slight, insult, disrespect. A common word with it is 亵渎 (xièdú), meaning "(literary) to blaspheme; to desecrate; to profane".
How do you pronounce 褻?
褻 is pronounced xiè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 褻?
The radical of 褻 is 衣, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 褻 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 褻?
褻 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 亵, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 猥亵 a strong or legal word in Chinese?
Yes. 猥亵 (wěixiè) is serious and often appears in legal and news language for indecent assault. Avoid using it casually as a joke.
Can 亵渎 be used outside religion?
Yes. It is often used figuratively for disrespecting something people value, such as 亵渎艺术 (xièdú yìshù), to profane art. It sounds literary and strong.