泄 (xiè) is a Chinese character meaning “to leak”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 世 (world; generation), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to leak; to let out”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 世
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰氵世，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「世」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) on the left, 世 "world" on the right: water that gets out into the world. Whatever you were holding in — air, a liquid, a secret, your temper — leaks away.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 泄气xiè qìto lose heart; to be discouraged泄 = xiè
- 发泄fā xièto vent (emotions)泄 = xiè
Go deeper
All readings
to leak; to let out
to leak; to drain; to let out; to give vent to; to disclose
液体、气体漏出或排出；也指把情绪、秘密放出去。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 泄气xiè qìto lose heart; to be discouraged泄 = xiè
- 发泄fā xièto vent (emotions)泄 = xiè
Rare readings, not taught: yì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 泄 mean?
泄 (xiè) means to leak; to drain; to let out; to give vent to; to disclose.
How do you pronounce 泄?
It is pronounced xiè.
What parts is 泄 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 世 (world; generation), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰氵世，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「世」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 泄 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 泄?
氵. 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 泄?
Common ones are 泄气 and 发泄. The reading of 泄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.