惜 (xī) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order
Pronunciation & meaning
Pronounced .
- pity
- regret
- to rue
- to begrudge
Stroke Order & Practice
Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.
Decomposition
惜 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.
Radical
The radical of 惜 is 忄 — meaning heart. 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: 性怀悔惊懒恼忆愉.
How the character is built
惜 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. To feel 忄 for the past 昔; 昔 also provides the pronunciation.
HSK 4 Words Containing 惜
Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句
惜 appears in 11 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:
Tasks Featuring 惜 / 相关任务
Words containing 惜 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:
FAQ
What does 惜 mean in Chinese?
惜 (xī) means pity, regret; to rue; to begrudge. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).
How many strokes does 惜 have?
惜 is written in 11 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惜?
The radical of 惜 is 忄 (heart). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 性, 怀, 悔, 惊, 懒.
What is the pinyin for 惜?
惜 is pronounced xī.
What HSK 4 words use 惜?
In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 惜 appears in 1 word, including 可惜 (kěxī). See the full list above.