斜 (xié) is a Chinese character meaning “slanting”. It is written from 余 (surplus; remaining; I (literary)) and 斗 (to fight; dipper), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “slanting”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
余 + 斗
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（斜，抒也。从斗余声）；现代字形拆分依 hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组核验（前7笔=余，后4笔=斗）
Memory aid
Pour the leftover (余) out of a dipper (斗) and you have to tip it — the dipper goes slanting.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 倾斜qīng xiéto tilt; to incline; slanting斜 = xié
- 斜坡xié pōslope; incline斜 = xié
- 歪斜wāi xiécrooked; slanting; askew斜 = xié
Go deeper
All readings
slanting
slanting; oblique; tilted; askew
不正，偏向一边的；跟平面或直线既不平行也不垂直的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 倾斜qīng xiéto tilt; to incline; slanting斜 = xié
- 斜坡xié pōslope; incline斜 = xié
- 歪斜wāi xiécrooked; slanting; askew斜 = xié
Sound component
余 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 斜 mean?
斜 (xié) means slanting; oblique; tilted; askew.
How do you pronounce 斜?
It is pronounced xié.
What parts is 斜 made of?
余 (surplus; remaining; I (literary)) and 斗 (to fight; dipper), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（斜，抒也。从斗余声）；现代字形拆分依 hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组核验（前7笔=余，后4笔=斗）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 斜 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 斜?
斗. 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 斜?
Common ones are 倾斜, 斜坡, 歪斜. The reading of 斜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.