密 (mì) is a Chinese character meaning “secret”. It is written from 宓 (quiet, still (宀 roof over 必)) and 山 (mountain), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “secret; dense”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
宓 + 山
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：密，山如堂者。从山，宓聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–8 与 宓 逐笔对应，其中 1–3 为 宀、4–8 为 必；笔画 9–11 为 山）
Memory aid
Under a roof (宀) someone "must" (必) keep quiet — together that is 宓, a hidden, still place. Put it above a mountain (山) and you get 密: something tucked away and secret, or packed close together.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 秘密mì mìsecret; confidential密 = mì
- 密码mì mǎpassword; code密 = mì
- 茂密mào mìdense; thick (of vegetation)密 = mì
Go deeper
All readings
secret; dense
secret; confidential; close, intimate; dense, thick
隐蔽、不公开的；关系近的；事物之间距离近、空隙小的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 秘密mì mìsecret; confidential密 = mì
- 密码mì mǎpassword; code密 = mì
- 茂密mào mìdense; thick (of vegetation)密 = mì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 密 mean?
密 (mì) means secret; confidential; close, intimate; dense, thick.
How do you pronounce 密?
It is pronounced mì.
What parts is 密 made of?
宓 (quiet, still (宀 roof over 必)) and 山 (mountain), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：密，山如堂者。从山，宓聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–8 与 宓 逐笔对应，其中 1–3 为 宀、4–8 为 必；笔画 9–11 为 山）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 密 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 密?
宀. 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 密?
Common ones are 秘密, 密码, 茂密. The reading of 密 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.