削 (xiāo) is a Chinese character meaning “to pare or peel something with a knife held at a slant”. It is written from 肖 (to resemble; likeness) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, xuē, which turns up in 削减 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to peel with a knife”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
肖 + 刂
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰肖刂，已对照 hanzi-writer 笔画数核验（肖 7 + 刂 2 = 削 9）
Memory aid
A knife (刂) on the right does the work; 肖 on the left only lends the sound xiāo. Put the blade beside it and you are shaving a thin layer off something.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 削皮xiāo píto peel (with a knife)削 = xiāo
Go deeper
All readings
to pare; to peel
to pare or peel something with a knife held at a slant; to shave off a thin layer
用刀斜着去掉物体的表层。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 削皮xiāo píto peel (with a knife)削 = xiāo
to cut away; to reduce
to cut away or strip off; used in compounds meaning to reduce or weaken
除去、剥去；用于书面复合词，表示减少、削弱。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 削减xuē jiǎnto cut back; to reduce削 = xuē
- 剥削bō xuēto exploit; exploitation削 = xuē
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 削 mean?
削 (xiāo) means to pare or peel something with a knife held at a slant; to shave off a thin layer.
How do you pronounce 削?
Its main reading is xiāo. It also has a second reading, xuē, which only shows up in certain words such as 削减 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 削 sometimes pronounced xuē?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 削减 it is read xuē.
What parts is 削 made of?
肖 (to resemble; likeness) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰肖刂，已对照 hanzi-writer 笔画数核验（肖 7 + 刂 2 = 削 9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 削 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 削?
刀. 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 削?
Common ones are 削皮. The reading of 削 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.