The character 西 — “west”: how to write it and what it means
west
The Chinese character 西 is read xī and means “west”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 西
西 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 西, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 西 is made of
In 东西 “thing” it is read with the neutral tone.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 西
- 东西thingHSK 1
- 西瓜watermelonHSK 3
- 西北northwestHSK 3
- 西南southwestHSK 3
- 西方the WestHSK 3
- 西部western partHSK 4
- 西红柿tomatoHSK 4
- 西餐Western foodHSK 5
- 西装suit (men's)HSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 西?
西 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 西 mean?
西 means “west”. It appears in 东西 (“thing”), 西瓜 (“watermelon”), 西北 (“northwest”), 西南 (“southwest”).
How do you pronounce 西?
西 is read xī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 西 have?
6 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 西 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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