惜 (xī) is a Chinese character meaning “to cherish”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 昔 (former times; the past (in 借 it is the sound part)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to cherish; to regret”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
忄 + 昔
Left–right structure
- 忄 heart (left-side form) · xīn meaning
- 昔 former times; the past (in 借 it is the sound part) · xī sound
Structure from: 说文解字：惜，痛也。从心，昔声。现代字形核验：⿰忄昔，3+8=11 画（hanzi-writer-data）
Memory aid
The heart (忄) turned toward the past (昔): you feel sorry for what is gone and hold on tightly to what is left.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 可惜kě xīit is a pity; unfortunately惜 = xī
- 珍惜zhēn xīto cherish; to treasure惜 = xī
- 吝惜lìn xīto grudge; to stint; to be unwilling to give up惜 = xī
- 惋惜wǎn xīto feel sorry for; to regret; to sympathize惜 = xī
Go deeper
All readings
to cherish; to regret
to cherish; to value; to spare; to feel sorry for; to regret
爱护、舍不得；也表示对失去或错过的事感到遗憾。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 可惜kě xīit is a pity; unfortunately惜 = xī
- 珍惜zhēn xīto cherish; to treasure惜 = xī
- 吝惜lìn xīto grudge; to stint; to be unwilling to give up惜 = xī
- 惋惜wǎn xīto feel sorry for; to regret; to sympathize惜 = xī
Sound component
昔 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 惜 mean?
惜 (xī) means to cherish; to value; to spare; to feel sorry for; to regret.
How do you pronounce 惜?
It is pronounced xī.
What parts is 惜 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 昔 (former times; the past (in 借 it is the sound part)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：惜，痛也。从心，昔声。现代字形核验：⿰忄昔，3+8=11 画（hanzi-writer-data）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 惜 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惜?
忄. 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 惜?
Common ones are 可惜 and 珍惜. The reading of 惜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.