涉 (shè) is a Chinese character meaning “to wade across”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 步 (step; pace; to walk), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to wade; to be involved”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 步
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「涉，徒行厲水也。从沝从步」（篆文从沝，今字省作氵）；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵步，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–9 与「步」逐笔对应（3+7=10画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) beside steps (步): walking step by step through the water — to wade, and by extension to get involved.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 涉及shè jíto involve; to touch on; to relate to涉 = shè
- 干涉gān shèto interfere; to intervene涉 = shè
Go deeper
All readings
to wade; to be involved
to wade across; to go through; to involve; to be connected with
徒步过水；经历；牵连、关联。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 涉及shè jíto involve; to touch on; to relate to涉 = shè
- 干涉gān shèto interfere; to intervene涉 = shè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 涉 mean?
涉 (shè) means to wade across; to go through; to involve; to be connected with.
How do you pronounce 涉?
It is pronounced shè.
What parts is 涉 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 步 (step; pace; to walk), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「涉，徒行厲水也。从沝从步」（篆文从沝，今字省作氵）；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵步，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–9 与「步」逐笔对应（3+7=10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 涉 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 涉?
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 涉?
Common ones are 涉及 and 干涉. The reading of 涉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.