涩 (sè) is a Chinese character meaning “astringent (puckering taste)”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 刃 (blade; knife edge) and 止 (stop), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “astringent; rough”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 刃 + 止
Left–right structure
- 氵 water (left-side form) · shuǐ meaning
- 刃 blade; knife edge · rèn simplified form
- 止 stop · zhǐ simplified form
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（简化字形 10 画：氵3 + 刃3 + 止4；右半为「歰」的简化写法）
Memory aid
Water (氵) poured on a blade (刃) that has stopped (止) moving: the edge turns rough and grating instead of smooth — that rough, puckering feeling is 涩.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 苦涩kǔ sèbitter and astringent; (fig.) pained, anguished涩 = sè
- 羞涩xiū sèshy; bashful; embarrassed涩 = sè
Go deeper
All readings
astringent; rough
astringent (puckering taste); rough, not smooth; (of writing) obscure, hard to read
像生柿子那样使舌头发麻发紧的味道；不光滑、不流畅；文字难懂。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 苦涩kǔ sèbitter and astringent; (fig.) pained, anguished涩 = sè
- 羞涩xiū sèshy; bashful; embarrassed涩 = sè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 涩 mean?
涩 (sè) means astringent (puckering taste); rough, not smooth; (of writing) obscure, hard to read.
How do you pronounce 涩?
It is pronounced sè.
What parts is 涩 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 刃 (blade; knife edge) and 止 (stop), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（简化字形 10 画：氵3 + 刃3 + 止4；右半为「歰」的简化写法）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 涩 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 涩?
水. 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 涩?
Common ones are 苦涩 and 羞涩. The reading of 涩 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.