祀 (sì) is a Chinese character meaning “to offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors”. It is written from 礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 巳 (sixth earthly branch), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to offer sacrifice”
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Structure
礻 + 巳
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·示部：祀，祭無已也。从示巳聲；并对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「礻」，笔画 4–6 为「巳」，共 7 画
Memory aid
The altar radical 礻 stands on the left, and 巳 sits on the right telling you the sound: sì. An altar plus sì — this is the word for making offerings.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 祭祀jì sìto offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors祀 = sì
- 奉祀fèng sìto enshrine and worship祀 = sì
Go deeper
All readings
to offer sacrifice
to offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors; a sacrificial rite
向神灵或祖先献上供品行礼；祭祀之礼。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 祭祀jì sìto offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors祀 = sì
- 奉祀fèng sìto enshrine and worship祀 = sì
Sound component
巳 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 祀 mean?
祀 (sì) means to offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors; a sacrificial rite.
How do you pronounce 祀?
It is pronounced sì.
What parts is 祀 made of?
礻 (spirit / altar (radical form of 示)) and 巳 (sixth earthly branch), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·示部：祀，祭無已也。从示巳聲；并对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「礻」，笔画 4–6 为「巳」，共 7 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 祀 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 祀?
示. 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 祀?
Common ones are 祭祀 and 奉祀. The reading of 祀 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.