驶 (shǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “to drive or pilot a vehicle”. It is written from 马 (horse) and 史 (history; recorder), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to drive; to speed along”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
马 + 史
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰马史，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「马」，笔画 3–7 与「史」逐笔对应（3+5=8 画）
Memory aid
A horse (马) pulling at full speed, with 史 (shǐ) on the right telling you how to say it: shǐ. The horse is the engine; 史 is the sound.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 驾驶jià shǐto drive; to pilot驶 = shǐ
- 行驶xíng shǐ(of a vehicle) to travel; to run; to be under way驶 = shǐ
Go deeper
All readings
to drive; to speed along
to drive or pilot a vehicle; (of a vehicle or vessel) to travel fast
驾驭车马；车、船等快速行进。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 驾驶jià shǐto drive; to pilot驶 = shǐ
- 行驶xíng shǐ(of a vehicle) to travel; to run; to be under way驶 = shǐ
Sound component
史 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 驶 mean?
驶 (shǐ) means to drive or pilot a vehicle; (of a vehicle or vessel) to travel fast.
How do you pronounce 驶?
It is pronounced shǐ.
What parts is 驶 made of?
马 (horse) and 史 (history; recorder), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰马史，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「马」，笔画 3–7 与「史」逐笔对应（3+5=8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 驶 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 驶?
马. 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 驶?
Common ones are 驾驶 and 行驶. The reading of 驶 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.