峡 (xiá) is a Chinese character meaning “gorge”. It is written from 山 (mountain) and 夹 (to clamp; to press something between), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “gorge between two mountains”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
山 + 夹
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：山 3 画 + 夹 6 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
Mountains (山) on the outside, and something clamped (夹) tight in the middle — that squeezed-in passage is a gorge. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 峡谷xiá gǔcanyon; gorge峡 = xiá
Go deeper
All readings
gorge
gorge; canyon; a narrow passage between mountains; strait (narrow channel of water between two landmasses)
两山之间狭窄的地方；也指两块陆地之间狭窄的水道。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 峡谷xiá gǔcanyon; gorge峡 = xiá
Sound component
夹 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 峡 mean?
峡 (xiá) means gorge; canyon; a narrow passage between mountains; strait (narrow channel of water between two landmasses).
How do you pronounce 峡?
It is pronounced xiá.
What parts is 峡 made of?
山 (mountain) and 夹 (to clamp; to press something between), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：山 3 画 + 夹 6 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 峡 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 峡?
山. 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 峡?
Common ones are 峡谷. The reading of 峡 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.