悉 (xī) is a Chinese character meaning “to know”. It is written from 釆 (to distinguish; to tell apart (biàn)) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to know in detail”
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Structure
釆 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字（悉，詳盡也。从心从釆）；现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱釆心，笔画核验 釆7 + 心4 = 11
Memory aid
釆 (to sort out, tell apart) sits on 心 (heart): when you have sorted something out in your heart, you know it in full detail.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 熟悉shú xīfamiliar; to know well悉 = xī
- 知悉zhī xīto know; to be informed of悉 = xī
Go deeper
All readings
to know in detail
to know; to learn of; to know in detail; all; entirely
知道、详细了解；也表示全、都。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 熟悉shú xīfamiliar; to know well悉 = xī
- 知悉zhī xīto know; to be informed of悉 = xī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 悉 mean?
悉 (xī) means to know; to learn of; to know in detail; all; entirely.
How do you pronounce 悉?
It is pronounced xī.
What parts is 悉 made of?
釆 (to distinguish; to tell apart (biàn)) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（悉，詳盡也。从心从釆）；现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱釆心，笔画核验 釆7 + 心4 = 11. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 悉 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 悉?
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 悉?
Common ones are 熟悉 and 知悉. The reading of 悉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.