谜 (mí) is a Chinese character meaning “riddle”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 迷 (lost; confused; fascinated), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “riddle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
讠 + 迷
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文新附: 謎，隱語也。从言迷，迷亦聲 (modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–1 讠, 2–10 迷)
Memory aid
Words (讠) that leave you lost and confused (迷) — that is a riddle. (A memory aid, not the historical origin.)
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 谜语mí yǔriddle谜 = mí
- 谜底mí dǐanswer to a riddle谜 = mí
Go deeper
All readings
riddle
riddle; puzzle; mystery; something not yet understood
谜语；比喻还没弄清楚或难以理解的事物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 谜语mí yǔriddle谜 = mí
- 谜底mí dǐanswer to a riddle谜 = mí
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 谜 mean?
谜 (mí) means riddle; puzzle; mystery; something not yet understood.
How do you pronounce 谜?
It is pronounced mí.
What parts is 谜 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 迷 (lost; confused; fascinated), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文新附: 謎，隱語也。从言迷，迷亦聲 (modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–1 讠, 2–10 迷). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 谜 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 谜?
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 谜?
Common ones are 谜语 and 谜底. The reading of 谜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.