谍 (dié) is a Chinese character meaning “to spy”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 枼 (leaves (old form written 世 over 木)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “spy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 枼
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：諜，軍中反閒也。从言枼聲。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（讠2画 + 枼9画 = 谍11画；笔画 0–1 为「讠」，2–10 与「枼」逐笔对应）
Memory aid
Speech (讠) whispered behind the leaves (枼): someone hides in the trees, listening and passing on secrets — a spy.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 间谍jiàndiéspy谍 = dié
- 谍报diébàointelligence report谍 = dié
Go deeper
All readings
spy; espionage
to spy; espionage; a spy
刺探敌方的情况；也指做这种事的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 间谍jiàndiéspy谍 = dié
- 谍报diébàointelligence report谍 = dié
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 谍 mean?
谍 (dié) means to spy; espionage; a spy.
How do you pronounce 谍?
It is pronounced dié.
What parts is 谍 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 枼 (leaves (old form written 世 over 木)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：諜，軍中反閒也。从言枼聲。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（讠2画 + 枼9画 = 谍11画；笔画 0–1 为「讠」，2–10 与「枼」逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 谍 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 谍?
讠. 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 谍?
Common ones are 间谍 and 谍报. The reading of 谍 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.