吸 (xī) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

xī to inhale, to suck in; to absorb; to attract 6 strokes · Radical 口 (mouth) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 吸 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced xī.

to inhale
to suck in
to absorb
to attract

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

吸 — 6 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

吸 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

吸 =

口 left mouth

及 right to extend

Radical

The radical of 吸 is 口 — meaning mouth. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 品吹台否另各味喊咳呼命嗯.

How the character is built

吸 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 口 (mouth) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 及 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 吸

吸 xī to suck; to inhale; to absorb

深深地吸一口气。

Shēnshēn de xī yì kǒu qì.

Take a deep breath.

吸引 xīyǐn to attract; to draw

这个城市吸引了很多游客。

Zhège chéngshì xīyǐn le hěn duō yóukè.

This city attracts many tourists.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

吸 appears in 22 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

他的聪明、幽默深深地吸引了她。

From Mock Exam 08 →

第一，它能很好地吸汗，尤其适合那些容易出汗的人。

From Mock Exam 04 →

世界上第一部无声电影出现的时候，吸引了成千上万的观众。

From Mock Exam 02 →

Tasks Featuring 吸 / 相关任务

Words containing 吸 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 介绍名胜古迹

Scenic Spots & Historic Sites · 吸引

FAQ

What does 吸 mean in Chinese?

吸 (xī) means to inhale, to suck in; to absorb; to attract. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 吸 have?

吸 is written in 6 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 吸?

The radical of 吸 is 口 (mouth). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 品, 吹, 台, 否, 另.

What is the pinyin for 吸?

吸 is pronounced xī.

What HSK 4 words use 吸?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 吸 appears in 2 words, including 吸 (xī), 吸引 (xīyǐn). See the full list above.