旭 (xù) is a Chinese character meaning “the light of the rising sun”. It is written from 九 (nine) and 日 (sun; day), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
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Structure
九 + 日
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：旭，日旦出皃。从日九聲。现代字形拆分 ⿺九日 已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–1 属「九」（撇、横折弯钩），笔画 2–5 属「日」（竖、横折、横、横），合计 6 画
Memory aid
The sun (日) sits inside the open sweep of nine (九) — nine is holding the sun up over the horizon at daybreak. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 旭日xù rìthe rising sun; the morning sun旭 = xù
- 旭日东升xù rì dōng shēngthe morning sun rises in the east — a hopeful new beginning旭 = xù
Go deeper
All readings
rising sun
the light of the rising sun; the sun just after dawn
早晨刚升起的太阳，也指初升太阳的光。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 旭日xù rìthe rising sun; the morning sun旭 = xù
- 旭日东升xù rì dōng shēngthe morning sun rises in the east — a hopeful new beginning旭 = xù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 旭 mean?
旭 (xù) means the light of the rising sun; the sun just after dawn.
How do you pronounce 旭?
It is pronounced xù.
What parts is 旭 made of?
九 (nine) and 日 (sun; day), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：旭，日旦出皃。从日九聲。现代字形拆分 ⿺九日 已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–1 属「九」（撇、横折弯钩），笔画 2–5 属「日」（竖、横折、横、横），合计 6 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 旭 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 旭?
日. 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 旭?
Common ones are 旭日 and 旭日东升. The reading of 旭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.