偎 (wēi) is a Chinese character meaning “to lean close to”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 畏 (to fear; to hold in awe), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to snuggle up to”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 畏
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS ⿰亻畏（构建期核对）；广韵·灰韵 烏恢切。现代字形拆分已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：2 + 9 = 11
Memory aid
A person (亻) beside something they fear (畏) snuggles up close for comfort. And 畏 wèi also hints at how 偎 wēi sounds.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 依偎yī wēito snuggle up to; to nestle against偎 = wēi
- 偎依wēi yīto snuggle up to; to lean close against偎 = wēi
Go deeper
All readings
to snuggle up to
to lean close to; to snuggle up to; to cuddle
亲密地挨着、靠着。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 依偎yī wēito snuggle up to; to nestle against偎 = wēi
- 偎依wēi yīto snuggle up to; to lean close against偎 = wēi
Sound component
畏 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 偎 mean?
偎 (wēi) means to lean close to; to snuggle up to; to cuddle.
How do you pronounce 偎?
It is pronounced wēi.
What parts is 偎 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 畏 (to fear; to hold in awe), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰亻畏（构建期核对）；广韵·灰韵 烏恢切。现代字形拆分已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：2 + 9 = 11. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 偎 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 偎?
亻. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 偎?
Common ones are 依偎 and 偎依. The reading of 偎 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.