写 — to write

Pinyin: xiě · xiè
Strokes: 5
HSK level: HSK 1
Handwriting: required

This character has more than one reading — xiě, xiè — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.

How to write 写: 5 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.

写 — 5 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 写

Words with 写 in the HSK syllabus: 8

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

写xiěto writeHSK 1
填写tiánxiěto fill in a form; to write data in a boxHSK 4
写作xiězuòto write; to compose; writing; written worksHSK 5
编写biānxiěto compileHSK 6
描写miáoxiěto describe; to depict; to portrayHSK 6
书写shūxiěto writeHSK 6
写照xiězhàoportrayalHSK 7–9
撰写zhuànxiěto write; to composeHSK 7–9

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.