字Study Chinese Characters
心

xīn heart

4 strokes

心 (xīn) is a Chinese character meaning “heart”. It is written from ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇃ (reclining hook stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke), and takes 4 strokes.

Build the character for “heart”

Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.

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Structure

㇔ + ㇃ + ㇔ + ㇔

Overlapping structure

  • ㇔ dot stroke unknown
  • ㇃ reclining hook stroke unknown
  • ㇔ dot stroke unknown
  • ㇔ dot stroke unknown

Structure from: Unicode U+5FC3 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (four strokes: 点 / 卧钩 / 点 / 点)

Memory aid

One dot (㇔) leans in on the left, then a wide reclining hook (㇃) swings under it like a bowl. Two more dots (㇔, ㇔) sit above the bowl — something small being held.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

4 strokes

In real words

  • 开心kāi xīnhappy; glad; to have a good time心 = xīn
  • 内心nèi xīninner feelings; heart心 = xīnHSK 5
  • 专心zhuān xīnto concentrate; attentive心 = xīn
  • 伤心shāng xīnsad; heartbroken; grieved心 = xīn
  • 孝心xiào xīnfilial devotion; the wish to care for one's parents心 = xīn
  • 心态xīn tàimindset; state of mind心 = xīn
  • 心灵xīn língheart; inner spirit心 = xīn
  • 心肌xīn jīheart muscle; myocardium心 = xīn
  • 担心dān xīnto worry; to feel anxious心 = xīnHSK 2
  • 沁人心脾qìn rén xīn pírefreshing; (of a scent, breeze or music) soaking straight into you心 = xīn
  • 甘心gān xīnto be willing; to be reconciled to心 = xīn
  • 用心yòng xīnattentively; with care; diligently心 = xīn
  • 齐心qí xīnto be of one mind; to act as one心 = xīn
  • 信心xìn xīnconfidence; faith心 = xīnHSK 3
  • 心不在焉xīn bú zài yānabsent-minded; not paying attention心 = xīn
  • 心情xīn qíngmood; frame of mind心 = xīn
  • 心烦xīn fánupset; irritated心 = xīn
  • 心疼xīn téngto love dearly; to feel sorry for; to hate to part with心 = xīn
  • 心脏xīn zàngheart (the organ)心 = xīn
  • 恒心héng xīnperseverance; steady determination心 = xīn
  • 揪心jiū xīnworried; anxious; heart-wrenching心 = xīn
  • 放心fàng xīnto rest assured; to feel at ease; to stop worrying心 = xīn
  • 核心hé xīncore; nucleus; heart (of a matter)心 = xīn
  • 狠心hěn xīnhard-hearted; to steel oneself to do something cruel心 = xīn
  • 粗心cūxīncareless; thoughtless心 = xīn
  • 耐心nài xīnpatience; patient心 = xīnHSK 4
  • 衷心zhōng xīnheartfelt; wholehearted心 = xīn
  • 贪心tān xīngreedy; greed心 = xīn
  • 贴心tiē xīnthoughtful; considerate; close to one's heart心 = xīn
  • 轴心zhóu xīnaxis; pivot; core心 = xīn
Go deeper

All readings

xīn main reading

heart

heart; mind; feelings; centre of something

心脏；也指想法、感情，或事物的中央部分。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 开心kāi xīnhappy; glad; to have a good time心 = xīn
  • 内心nèi xīninner feelings; heart心 = xīnHSK 5
  • 专心zhuān xīnto concentrate; attentive心 = xīn
  • 伤心shāng xīnsad; heartbroken; grieved心 = xīn
  • 孝心xiào xīnfilial devotion; the wish to care for one's parents心 = xīn
  • 心态xīn tàimindset; state of mind心 = xīn
  • 心灵xīn língheart; inner spirit心 = xīn
  • 心肌xīn jīheart muscle; myocardium心 = xīn
  • 担心dān xīnto worry; to feel anxious心 = xīnHSK 2
  • 沁人心脾qìn rén xīn pírefreshing; (of a scent, breeze or music) soaking straight into you心 = xīn
  • 甘心gān xīnto be willing; to be reconciled to心 = xīn
  • 用心yòng xīnattentively; with care; diligently心 = xīn
  • 齐心qí xīnto be of one mind; to act as one心 = xīn
  • 信心xìn xīnconfidence; faith心 = xīnHSK 3
  • 心不在焉xīn bú zài yānabsent-minded; not paying attention心 = xīn
  • 心情xīn qíngmood; frame of mind心 = xīn
  • 心烦xīn fánupset; irritated心 = xīn
  • 心疼xīn téngto love dearly; to feel sorry for; to hate to part with心 = xīn
  • 心脏xīn zàngheart (the organ)心 = xīn
  • 恒心héng xīnperseverance; steady determination心 = xīn
  • 揪心jiū xīnworried; anxious; heart-wrenching心 = xīn
  • 放心fàng xīnto rest assured; to feel at ease; to stop worrying心 = xīn
  • 核心hé xīncore; nucleus; heart (of a matter)心 = xīn
  • 狠心hěn xīnhard-hearted; to steel oneself to do something cruel心 = xīn
  • 粗心cūxīncareless; thoughtless心 = xīn
  • 耐心nài xīnpatience; patient心 = xīnHSK 4
  • 衷心zhōng xīnheartfelt; wholehearted心 = xīn
  • 贪心tān xīngreedy; greed心 = xīn
  • 贴心tiē xīnthoughtful; considerate; close to one's heart心 = xīn
  • 轴心zhóu xīnaxis; pivot; core心 = xīn

Other characters with these parts

㇔ → 不专为丹书予亦今

㇔ → 不专为丹书予亦今

㇔ → 不专为丹书予亦今

Easy to confuse with

必忆

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 心 mean?

心 (xīn) means heart; mind; feelings; centre of something.

How do you pronounce 心?

It is pronounced xīn.

What parts is 心 made of?

㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇃ (reclining hook stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke). The recorded source is: Unicode U+5FC3 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (four strokes: 点 / 卧钩 / 点 / 点). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 心 have?

4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 心?

心. 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 心?

Common ones are 开心 and 内心. The reading of 心 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.