The character 失 — “lose”: how to write it and what it means
lose
The Chinese character 失 is read shī and means “lose”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 失
失 has 5 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 失, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 失 is made of
Don't confuse it with 夫: 失 has an extra stroke at the top left.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 失
- 失望be disappointedHSK 4
- 失败failure; failHSK 4
- 失去loseHSK 4
- 失恋heartbreak, breakupHSK 5
- 丢失loseHSK 5
- 失眠insomniaHSK 5
- 失业lose one's jobHSK 5
- 损失loss, damage; loseHSK 5
- 消失disappearHSK 5
- 失误slip, errorHSK 5
- 丧失lose, be deprived ofHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 失?
失 has 5 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 失 mean?
失 means “lose”. It appears in 失望 (“be disappointed”), 失败 (“failure”), 失去 (“lose”), 失恋 (“heartbreak”).
How do you pronounce 失?
失 is read shī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 失 have?
5 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 失 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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