屑 (xiè) is a Chinese character meaning “crumbs”. It is written from 尸 (corpse) and 肖 (to resemble; likeness), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “crumbs, bits”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尸 + 肖
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字（屑：从尸，肖声）；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 尸 / 3-9 肖
Memory aid
Under a slab (尸) lie little pieces that only resemble (肖) what they used to be — crumbs, scraps and shavings.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 纸屑zhǐ xièscraps of paper屑 = xiè
- 木屑mù xièsawdust; wood shavings屑 = xiè
Go deeper
All readings
crumbs; bits
crumbs; scraps; small bits (of paper, wood, etc.)
碎末；细小的碎片。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 纸屑zhǐ xièscraps of paper屑 = xiè
- 木屑mù xièsawdust; wood shavings屑 = xiè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 屑 mean?
屑 (xiè) means crumbs; scraps; small bits (of paper, wood, etc.).
How do you pronounce 屑?
It is pronounced xiè.
What parts is 屑 made of?
尸 (corpse) and 肖 (to resemble; likeness), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（屑：从尸，肖声）；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 尸 / 3-9 肖. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 屑 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 屑?
尸. 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 屑?
Common ones are 纸屑 and 木屑. The reading of 屑 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.