切 (qiē) is a Chinese character meaning “to cut”. It is written from 七 (seven) and 刀 (knife), side by side, and takes 4 strokes. It has a second reading, qiè, which turns up in 一切 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to cut”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
七 + 刀
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·刀部：切，刌也。从刀七聲；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（七 2 画 + 刀 2 画 = 切 4 画）
Memory aid
A knife (刀) stands on the right; seven (七) waits on the left. Seven does not mean anything here — it only tells you the sound. The knife does the work: it cuts.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 切菜qiē càito cut vegetables切 = qiē
- 切开qiē kāito cut something open切 = qiē
Go deeper
All readings
to cut
to cut; to slice; to mince (with a knife)
用刀把东西分开或弄成片、块、丝。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 切菜qiē càito cut vegetables切 = qiē
- 切开qiē kāito cut something open切 = qiē
close to; eager
close to; corresponding to; eager; in 一切 it means "all, every"
贴近、符合；也表示急迫。在「一切」中表示「全部」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 一切yī qièeverything; all切 = qièspoken asyí qiè
- 亲切qīn qièwarm and friendly; cordial切 = qiè
- 切勿qiè wùmust not; by no means切 = qiè
- 迫切pò qièurgent; pressing切 = qiè
- 殷切yīn qièardent; earnest; eager切 = qiè
Sound component
七 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 切 mean?
切 (qiē) means to cut; to slice; to mince (with a knife).
How do you pronounce 切?
Its main reading is qiē. It also has a second reading, qiè, which only shows up in certain words such as 一切 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 切 sometimes pronounced qiè?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 一切 it is read qiè.
What parts is 切 made of?
七 (seven) and 刀 (knife), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·刀部：切，刌也。从刀七聲；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（七 2 画 + 刀 2 画 = 切 4 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 切 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 切?
刀. 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 切?
Common ones are 切菜 and 切开. The reading of 切 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.