The character 血 — “blood”: how to write it and what it means

血
xiě

blood

6 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 血 is read xiě and means “blood”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 血

血 has 6 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 血, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 血 is made of

A drop above a bowl 皿. In literary words it's read xuè.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 血

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 血?

血 has 6 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 血 mean?

血 means “blood”. It appears in 血液 (“blood”), 血管 (“blood vessel”), 血压 (“blood pressure”), 血型 (“blood type”).

How do you pronounce 血?

血 is read xiě. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 血 have?

6 strokes.

← 针 needle痛 painful →

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 血 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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