泻 (xiè) is a Chinese character meaning “to flow down swiftly”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 写 (to write), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to flow swiftly; to purge”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 写
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形 IDS ⿰氵写，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「写」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）；繁体「瀉」为从水、寫聲，《简化字总表》中声符「寫」简作「写」
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, 写 on the right: water pouring down as fast as a hand can write (写) — it rushes straight out.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 腹泻fù xièdiarrhea泻 = xiè
- 泻药xiè yàolaxative; purgative泻 = xiè
Go deeper
All readings
to flow swiftly; to purge
to flow down swiftly; to pour out; to have diarrhea
液体很快地流下、倾泻；也指腹泻、拉肚子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 腹泻fù xièdiarrhea泻 = xiè
- 泻药xiè yàolaxative; purgative泻 = xiè
Sound component
写 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 泻 mean?
泻 (xiè) means to flow down swiftly; to pour out; to have diarrhea.
How do you pronounce 泻?
It is pronounced xiè.
What parts is 泻 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 写 (to write), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形 IDS ⿰氵写，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「写」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）；繁体「瀉」为从水、寫聲，《简化字总表》中声符「寫」简作「写」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 泻 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 泻?
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 泻?
Common ones are 腹泻 and 泻药. The reading of 泻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.