雪 meaning and stroke order
Snow; (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc)
How to write 雪, stroke by stroke
11 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
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 雪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- snow
- (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc)
How 雪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Rain.
雨 gives the meaning and 彐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 雨 (rain), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 雪
Snow is just rain that froze, so 雪 (xuě) puts 雨 (rain) on top. The 彐 at the bottom looks like a little hand or broom sweeping the snow into a pile, and it also gives the sound.
雪 most often means snow, as in 下雪 (xià xuě, to snow) and 滑雪 (huáxuě, to ski). In literary or set phrases it can mean to wipe away a disgrace, as in 雪耻 (xuěchǐ). Example: 昨天北京下雪了。(Zuótiān Běijīng xià xuě le.) It snowed in Beijing yesterday.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as ヨ with the middle stroke poking out to the left, or confuse it with 雷 (léi, thunder), which has 田 under 雨. Also remember the tone is third tone, xuě, not xuē or xué.
Common words with 雪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 下雪 | xià xuě | to snow | HSK 2 |
| 冰雪 | bīngxuě | ice and snow | HSK 4 |
| 滑雪 | huáxuě | to ski; skiing | HSK 7-9 |
| 雪上加霜 | xuěshàng-jiāshuāng | (idiom) to make matters even worse; to add insult to injury | HSK 7-9 |
| 雪山 | xuěshān | snow-capped mountain | HSK 7-9 |
| 瑞雪 | ruìxuě | timely snow | HSK 7-9 |
| 雪茄 | xuějiā | (loanword) cigar | |
| 雪梨 | Xuělí | snow pear (pyrus nivalis) | |
| 雪橇 | xuěqiāo | sled; sledge | |
| 雪花 | xuěhuā | snowflake | |
| 暴风雪 | bàofēngxuě | snowstorm; blizzard | |
| 雪糕 | xuěgāo | ice cream bar; ice cream popsicle | |
| 白雪 | báixuě | snow | |
| 雪地 | xuědì | snow-covered ground |
雪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 雪
Learning 雪 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 雪
How many strokes are in 雪?
雪 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 雪 mean?
雪 (xuě) means snow; (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc). A common word with it is 下雪 (xià xuě), meaning "to snow".
How do you pronounce 雪?
雪 is pronounced xuě, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 雪?
The radical of 雪 is 雨, which carries the idea of "rain". Dictionaries list 雪 under this radical.
Is 雪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 雪 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
How do you say "It is snowing" in Chinese?
Say 下雪了 (xià xuě le) or 在下雪 (zài xià xuě). Chinese uses the verb 下 (to fall) with weather, just like 下雨 (xià yǔ) for rain.
Why does 雪茄 mean cigar?
雪茄 (xuějiā) is a loanword chosen for its sound, which imitates "cigar." The meaning "snow" plays no role in the word.