喜 (xǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “happy”. It is written from 壴 (drum on a stand) and 口 (mouth), one above the other, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “happy; to like”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
壴 + 口
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 喜，乐也。从壴从口; IDS ⿱壴口
Memory aid
A drum on its stand (壴) above an open mouth (口): beat the drum and sing out loud. That is joy.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 喜欢xǐ huānto like喜 = xǐspoken asxǐ huanHSK 1
- 恭喜gōng xǐcongratulations喜 = xǐ
- 喜悦xǐ yuèjoy; delight; joyful喜 = xǐ
- 皆大欢喜jiē dà huān xǐeveryone is happy; a happy ending for all喜 = xǐ
Go deeper
All readings
happy; to like
happy; joyful; to like; to be fond of; a happy event
高兴，快乐；喜爱；也指值得庆贺的事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 喜欢xǐ huānto like喜 = xǐspoken asxǐ huanHSK 1
- 恭喜gōng xǐcongratulations喜 = xǐ
- 喜悦xǐ yuèjoy; delight; joyful喜 = xǐ
- 皆大欢喜jiē dà huān xǐeveryone is happy; a happy ending for all喜 = xǐ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 喜 mean?
喜 (xǐ) means happy; joyful; to like; to be fond of; a happy event.
How do you pronounce 喜?
It is pronounced xǐ.
What parts is 喜 made of?
壴 (drum on a stand) and 口 (mouth), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 喜，乐也。从壴从口; IDS ⿱壴口. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 喜 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 喜?
口. 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 喜?
Common ones are 喜欢, 恭喜, 喜悦, 皆大欢喜. The reading of 喜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.