血 (xuè) is a Chinese character meaning “blood”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “blood”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + 皿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形 ⿱丿皿（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：丿 1 画 + 皿 5 画 = 6 画）
Memory aid
A dish (皿) with one short slanting mark (丿) resting on its rim — something is in the bowl. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 血压xuè yāblood pressure血 = xuè
- 血液xuè yèblood血 = xuè
- 血型xuè xíngblood type血 = xuè
- 血栓xuè shuānblood clot; thrombus血 = xuè
- 血脉xuè màiblood vessels; bloodline血 = xuè
Go deeper
All readings
blood
blood
人和动物体内循环流动的红色液体。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 血压xuè yāblood pressure血 = xuè
- 血液xuè yèblood血 = xuè
- 血型xuè xíngblood type血 = xuè
- 血栓xuè shuānblood clot; thrombus血 = xuè
- 血脉xuè màiblood vessels; bloodline血 = xuè
Rare readings, not taught: xiě
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 血 mean?
血 (xuè) means blood.
How do you pronounce 血?
It is pronounced xuè.
What parts is 血 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形 ⿱丿皿（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：丿 1 画 + 皿 5 画 = 6 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 血 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 血?
血. 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 血?
Common ones are 血压 and 血液. The reading of 血 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.