泣 (qì) is a Chinese character meaning “to weep”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 立 (to stand; upright), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to weep”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 立
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「泣，無聲出涕曰泣。从水立聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵立，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「立」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, 立 standing on the right: someone standing (立) while the water runs down their face — weeping.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 哭泣kū qìto weep; to cry (quietly)泣 = qì
- 抽泣chōu qìto sob泣 = qì
Go deeper
All readings
to weep
to weep; to sob; tears
无声或低声地流泪；眼泪。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哭泣kū qìto weep; to cry (quietly)泣 = qì
- 抽泣chōu qìto sob泣 = qì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 泣 mean?
泣 (qì) means to weep; to sob; tears.
How do you pronounce 泣?
It is pronounced qì.
What parts is 泣 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 立 (to stand; upright), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「泣，無聲出涕曰泣。从水立聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵立，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「立」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 泣 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 泣?
氵. 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 泣?
Common ones are 哭泣 and 抽泣. The reading of 泣 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.