How to Write 哧 (chī) — Meaning “Rip/Hiss (sound of tearing or air escaping)”

Imagine a bright red (赤) mouth (口) making a sharp hissing noise like a tire leaking air. The red color makes the sound more vivid, helping you link the character to the "chī" sound of tearing or escaping air.

Write the mouth radical (口) first, making it small and centered on the left. Then write 赤, paying attention that the upper part is 土 (earth), not 士, and the bottom part is 小 with a horizontal stroke across, not two separate dots. Keep the overall width balanced.

哧 (chī) is an onomatopoeic word for tearing, hissing, or a sudden laugh, while 呢 (ne) is a common modal particle used in questions or statements. 呣 (m) represents a humming or questioning sound. Visually, 哧 uses 赤 on the right, 呢 uses 尼, and 呣 uses 母.

哧 appears mainly in written descriptions of sounds, especially in the word 噗哧 (pū chī) for a sudden, stifled laugh or a spray of liquid. It is also used alone or reduplicated as 哧哧 to describe the sound of ripping cloth or air leaking. This character is informal and common in comics or novels.

Common words containing 哧 include: 噗哧 (pū chī) — sound of a sudden laugh or spray; 哧 (chī) — Rip/Hiss (sound of tearing or air escaping); 哧哧 (chī chī) — Sound of ripping or hissing.