錫 meaning and stroke order
Tin; to bestow, to confer
How to write 錫, stroke by stroke
16 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 錫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tin (chemistry)
- to bestow
- to confer
- to grant
- Taiwan pr. [xi2]
How 錫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 易 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 錫
The metal side 釒 tells you this is a metal, and 易 (yì, easy) gives a hint of the sound. Think of tin as the metal that is easy to bend and shape.
錫 (xī) mostly appears in words about the metal tin, such as 錫紙 (xīzhǐ, tin foil) and 錫箔 (xībó, tinfoil used in rituals). The older meaning "to bestow" survives mainly in classical texts and in place names like 無錫 (Wúxī). Example: 用錫紙包起來。(Yòng xīzhǐ bāo qǐlái.) Wrap it up in tin foil.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 錫 with 賜 (cì, to bestow), which shares the same right side 易 and even a similar meaning. Check the left side: metal 釒 for 錫, shell 貝 for 賜.
Questions about 錫
How many strokes are in 錫?
錫 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 錫 mean?
錫 (xī) means tin; to bestow, to confer.
How do you pronounce 錫?
錫 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 錫?
The radical of 錫 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 錫 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 錫?
錫 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 锡, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How is 錫 pronounced in Taiwan?
In mainland Mandarin it is first tone, xī. In Taiwan the standard pronunciation is second tone, xí.
What does the city name 無錫 (Wúxī) mean?
Literally it reads as "no tin." It is a well known city in Jiangsu province, and 錫 is often used as a short name for it, as in 錫劇 (xījù), the local opera.