袭 (xí) is a Chinese character meaning “to attack by surprise”. It is written from 龙 (dragon) and 衣 (clothing; garment), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to raid; surprise attack”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
龙 + 衣
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 襲，左衽袍。从衣，龖省聲（简化字以「龙」代「龖」）；现代字形 IDS ⿱龙衣 经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（龙 0–4，衣 5–10）
Memory aid
A dragon (龙) swoops down on the clothes (衣) hanging below — a sudden surprise attack.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 袭击xí jīto attack (esp. by surprise); an attack袭 = xí
- 空袭kōng xíair raid; air strike袭 = xí
Go deeper
All readings
to raid; to attack by surprise
to attack by surprise; to raid; to carry on as before; to inherit
趁对方不防备时突然攻击；也指照旧沿用、继承。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 袭击xí jīto attack (esp. by surprise); an attack袭 = xí
- 空袭kōng xíair raid; air strike袭 = xí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 袭 mean?
袭 (xí) means to attack by surprise; to raid; to carry on as before; to inherit.
How do you pronounce 袭?
It is pronounced xí.
What parts is 袭 made of?
龙 (dragon) and 衣 (clothing; garment), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 襲，左衽袍。从衣，龖省聲（简化字以「龙」代「龖」）；现代字形 IDS ⿱龙衣 经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（龙 0–4，衣 5–10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 袭 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 袭?
衣. 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 袭?
Common ones are 袭击 and 空袭. The reading of 袭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.