How to say “thin” in Chinese
thin; detailed
“Thin” in Chinese is 细, xì: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
细 is read xì. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 纟 “thread”: thin as a thread.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “细”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 细. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 她做事很细心tāzuòshìhěnxìxīnShe does everything carefully.
- 请你说得详细一点儿qǐngnǐshuōdexiángxìyìdiǎnrPlease tell me in more detail.
- 他做事很注意细节tāzuòshìhěnzhùyìxìjiéHe pays close attention to detail in his work.
- 她的眉毛又细又长tādeméimaoyòuxìyòuchángHer eyebrows are thin and long.
- 人体是由无数细胞组成的。réntǐshìyóuwúshùxìbāozǔchéngdeThe human body is made up of countless cells.
- 水里检测出了大量细菌。shuǐlijiǎncèchūledàliàngxìjūnA large number of bacteria were detected in the water.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Light or heavy?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “thin” in Chinese?
“Thin” in Chinese is 细, pinyin xì.
What does 细 mean?
细 (xì) means “thin; detailed”.
How do you write 细?
细 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 细?
细 is read xì. Tones: xì — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“thin” in the lesson “Light or heavy?”
This word is from the topic “Shopping and things” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free