水 shuǐ — water · English

水

shuǐ

water

At a glance · 水

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

水字甲骨文象水流之形，中间为干流，两旁为支流；金文、小篆承之，隶作『水』。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

水本义为水流、液体。

Structure

水为象形字，描摹蜿蜒流动的水脉。

At a glance

Pinyinshuǐ

Radical水

Strokes4

UnicodeU+6C34

Character type象形

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English water Shui is a pictograph of flowing water.

Français eau Shui est un pictogramme d'eau coulante.

Español agua Shui es un pictograma de agua fluyente.

العربية ماء شوي رسم تخطيطي للماء الجاري.

Русский вода Шуй — пиктограмма текущей воды.

Common words

水果shuǐ guǒfruit
河水hé shuǐriver water

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