笑 (xiào) is a Chinese character meaning “to laugh”. It is written from ⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 夭 (young; tender), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to laugh; to smile”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
⺮ + 夭
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：⺮ 6 笔 + 夭 4 笔）
Memory aid
Bamboo (⺮) on top of a figure (夭) bending with laughter — the bamboo shakes like someone doubled over laughing. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 微笑wēi xiàoto smile; a smile笑 = xiào
- 可笑kě xiàofunny; ridiculous笑 = xiào
- 讥笑jī xiàoto ridicule; to laugh at someone mockingly笑 = xiào
- 哄笑hōng xiàoto roar with laughter (of a crowd)笑 = xiào
- 狞笑níng xiàoto grin cruelly; sinister laugh笑 = xiào
- 笑柄xiào bǐnglaughingstock; a standing joke笑 = xiào
- 笑眯眯xiào mī mīsmiling with narrowed eyes; all smiles笑 = xiào
Go deeper
All readings
to laugh; to smile
to laugh; to smile; to laugh at
露出愉快的表情，发出欢喜的声音；也指讥笑。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 微笑wēi xiàoto smile; a smile笑 = xiào
- 可笑kě xiàofunny; ridiculous笑 = xiào
- 讥笑jī xiàoto ridicule; to laugh at someone mockingly笑 = xiào
- 哄笑hōng xiàoto roar with laughter (of a crowd)笑 = xiào
- 狞笑níng xiàoto grin cruelly; sinister laugh笑 = xiào
- 笑柄xiào bǐnglaughingstock; a standing joke笑 = xiào
- 笑眯眯xiào mī mīsmiling with narrowed eyes; all smiles笑 = xiào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 笑 mean?
笑 (xiào) means to laugh; to smile; to laugh at.
How do you pronounce 笑?
It is pronounced xiào.
What parts is 笑 made of?
⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 夭 (young; tender), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：⺮ 6 笔 + 夭 4 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 笑 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 笑?
竹. 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 笑?
Common ones are 微笑 and 可笑. The reading of 笑 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.