濕 (shī) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

濕

shī[shi1]Tone 1

wet, moist

HSK 4

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湿

Guru Deep Dive

English · wet, moist

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left water radical is compressed to make room for the complex right phonetic structure. Keep the horizontal strokes evenly spaced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 濕 contains a complex top structure which was simplified in the modern form by standardizing component proportions.

1. Meaning

wet, moist, damp

humidityfluid, liquid

Adjective / VerbNeutral#weather#states of matter#sensory

Sample Usage

外面正在下雨，地很湿。
wàimiàn zhèngzài xiàyǔ, dì hěn shī.
It is raining outside, and the ground is very wet.
湿衣服不容易干。
shī yīfu bù róngyì gān.
Wet clothes are not easy to dry.

2. Sound

/[ʂʐ̩⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

濕

shīshi1

¯(55)

=shī

Initial Consonant

Type: Retroflex Fricative

Sounds like: sh (retroflex sh sound)

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Hollow wind sound through curled tongue channel.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near the hard palate, air friction passing through.

Final Rhyme

i (-i*)

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: apical vowel sounding like the 'ir' in bird with a retroflex tongue

Note: Written as 'i (-i*)', pronounced as rounded 'i' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-i' (rr/zz).

Common Learner Trap: Do NOT pronounce '-i' as 'ee' after zh-! Keep your tongue in the consonant position and buzz 'rr/zz'.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is flat and high, matching a stable musical high note.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing retroflex 'sh-' with alveolar 's-'. Ensure your tongue curls back for 'shī' rather than staying flat against the teeth as in 'sī'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, flat, level horizontal line in space, like a high singing note sustained without dipping or rising.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left water radical is compressed to make room for the complex right phonetic structure. Keep the horizontal strokes evenly spaced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 濕 contains a complex top structure which was simplified in the modern form by standardizing component proportions.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water, liquid, dampness)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (indicates water and moisture)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 显 (original sound: xiǎn / shī sound cluster)

Water (氵) plus the sun/manifestation element (显) creates the image of water coming out or making things soaked and damp.

氵 water / liquid
显 manifest / clear phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

4· Phonetic Root: 㬎 (xiǎn)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the water signific (氵) and a phonetic component (显) representing the state of being soaked or drenched with water.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring strictly to water overflowing or soaking, it broadened to describe any damp, moist, or humid condition.

Water radicals are among the most reliable semantic clues in Chinese characters.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine water (氵) splashing onto a display screen (显), making it completely wet and dripping.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

湿

shīwetBase character with water radical

显

xiǎnapparentWithout water radical

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

显(xiǎn)

Missing the water radical (氵) on the left.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

下雨了，我的衣服全[___]了。

Clue: shī

Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting the water radical on the left or confusing it with '显'.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 湿 mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'wet' (shī)?

濕shīwet, moist

Speed:

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