The character 虚 — “empty”: how to write it and what it means
empty; false
The Chinese character 虚 is read xū and means “empty; false”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 虚
虚 has 11 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 虚, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 虚 is made of
On top, the same “cap” as in 虎 and 虑. 虚心 — an “empty heart”: open to new things.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 虚
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 虚?
虚 has 11 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 虚 mean?
虚 means “empty; false”. It appears in 虚心 (“modest”), 谦虚 (“modest”).
How do you pronounce 虚?
虚 is read xū. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 虚 have?
11 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 虚 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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