写/寫 xiě — to write; to compose; to depict, to describe

Pinyin

• xiě (third tone, dipping)

to write; to compose; to depict, to describe

Character breakdown

• 冖shape partno entry yetA cover — all that is left of the roof 宀 of the traditional 寫.
• 与shape partno entry yetA simplification shorthand replacing 舄, the phonetic of the traditional character. It is not a phonetic here: 与 is yǔ, not xiě.

Mnemonic

The traditional 寫 puts 舄 under a roof 宀, and its oldest sense is to set something down inside a house — to transfer a thing from one place to another, and so to copy words out. The simplified 写 flattens the roof to a cover 冖 and replaces the rest with 与: five strokes, and nothing left of the picture. 写字, 写信, 写作业.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.

Words containing 写

• 写/寫xiě (third tone, dipping)to write