秘 (mì) is a Chinese character meaning “secret”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 必 (must; certainly), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “secret”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
禾 + 必
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 祕，神也。从示必聲（「秘」为后起写法，左旁由示换作禾）；现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：禾 5 画（笔画 0–4）+ 必 5 画（笔画 5–9）= 10 画
Memory aid
Grain (禾) that you must (必) keep hidden — a farmer’s secret store.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 秘密mì mìsecret; confidential秘 = mì
- 神秘shén mìmysterious; mystical秘 = mì
- 秘书mì shūsecretary秘 = mì
- 秘诀mì juésecret; knack; key to success秘 = mì
Go deeper
All readings
secret
secret; hidden; mysterious; to keep secret
不公开的、隐蔽的；使人难以捉摸的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 秘密mì mìsecret; confidential秘 = mì
- 神秘shén mìmysterious; mystical秘 = mì
- 秘书mì shūsecretary秘 = mì
- 秘诀mì juésecret; knack; key to success秘 = mì
Rare readings, not taught: bì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 秘 mean?
秘 (mì) means secret; hidden; mysterious; to keep secret.
How do you pronounce 秘?
It is pronounced mì.
What parts is 秘 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 必 (must; certainly), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 祕，神也。从示必聲（「秘」为后起写法，左旁由示换作禾）；现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：禾 5 画（笔画 0–4）+ 必 5 画（笔画 5–9）= 10 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 秘 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 秘?
禾. 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 秘?
Common ones are 秘密, 神秘, 秘书. The reading of 秘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.