肖 (xiào) is a Chinese character meaning “to resemble”. It is written from 小 (small) and 月 (moon; month), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to resemble”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
小 + 月
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱小月，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：小 3 + 月 4 = 7）
Memory aid
A small (小) shape sitting on a moon (月): a little copy of the moon still looks like the moon. 肖 means "to resemble".
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 生肖shēng xiàoChinese zodiac animal sign肖 = xiào
- 肖像xiào xiàngportrait肖 = xiào
- 惟妙惟肖wéi miào wéi xiàoremarkably lifelike; vividly true to life肖 = xiào
Go deeper
All readings
to resemble
to resemble; to be like; (in 生肖) an animal sign of the Chinese zodiac
相似；像。也用于「生肖」，指十二属相。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 生肖shēng xiàoChinese zodiac animal sign肖 = xiào
- 肖像xiào xiàngportrait肖 = xiào
- 惟妙惟肖wéi miào wéi xiàoremarkably lifelike; vividly true to life肖 = xiào
Rare readings, not taught: xiāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 肖 mean?
肖 (xiào) means to resemble; to be like; (in 生肖) an animal sign of the Chinese zodiac.
How do you pronounce 肖?
It is pronounced xiào.
What parts is 肖 made of?
小 (small) and 月 (moon; month), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱小月，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：小 3 + 月 4 = 7）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 肖 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 肖?
肉. 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 肖?
Common ones are 生肖 and 肖像. The reading of 肖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.