恤 (xù) is a Chinese character meaning “to show sympathy for someone's hardship”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 血 (blood), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to feel for someone's hardship”
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Structure
忄 + 血
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：忄 3 画 + 血 6 画 = 9 画；右侧 血 xuè 为声符，与 xù 同声母 x、同声调）
Memory aid
A heart (忄) turned toward someone's blood (血) — you see what it cost them, and your heart goes out to them. That is 恤: to feel for someone and help.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 体恤tǐ xùto show consideration for; to feel for someone's hardship恤 = xù
- 抚恤fǔ xùto provide relief or compensation to the bereaved or disabled恤 = xù
Go deeper
All readings
to feel for; to give relief
to show sympathy for someone's hardship; to give relief or compensation
同情、体谅别人的苦处；也指给予物质上的救济。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 体恤tǐ xùto show consideration for; to feel for someone's hardship恤 = xù
- 抚恤fǔ xùto provide relief or compensation to the bereaved or disabled恤 = xù
Sound component
血 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 恤 mean?
恤 (xù) means to show sympathy for someone's hardship; to give relief or compensation.
How do you pronounce 恤?
It is pronounced xù.
What parts is 恤 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 血 (blood), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：忄 3 画 + 血 6 画 = 9 画；右侧 血 xuè 为声符，与 xù 同声母 x、同声调）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 恤 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 恤?
心. 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 恤?
Common ones are 体恤 and 抚恤. The reading of 恤 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.