The character 细 — “thin”: how to write it and what it means
thin, fine; detailed
The Chinese character 细 is read xì and means “thin, fine; detailed”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 细
细 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 细, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 细 is made of
On the left, 纟 “thread”: thin as a thread.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 细
- 细心attentive, carefulHSK 4
- 仔细careful, thoroughHSK 4
- 详细detailedHSK 4
- 细节detailHSK 5
- 细致careful, meticulousHSK 6
- 细胞cell (biol.)HSK 6
- 细菌bacteriumHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 细?
细 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 细 mean?
细 means “thin, fine; detailed”. It appears in 细心 (“attentive”), 仔细 (“careful”), 详细 (“detailed”), 细节 (“detail”).
How do you pronounce 细?
细 is read xì. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 细 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 细 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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