How to Write 赤 (chì) — Meaning “Red / Bare / Naked”

Picture a big person (大) standing over a fire (火) and turning red from the heat. This reminds you that 赤 means 'red' and also 'bare' or 'naked' because fire can burn away clothes.

Write the top part first with three horizontals and two verticals (like 土 but with an extra vertical line). Then finish with a left-falling stroke (丿) and a right-falling stroke (捺) at the bottom. A common mistake is making the bottom two strokes too short or uneven—they should spread out like flames.

赤脚 (chì jiǎo) means 'barefoot'—used when someone has no shoes. 赤道 (chì dào) is the 'equator', the red line on maps. 赤字 (chì zì) means 'deficit' or 'in the red', from accounting where red ink marks losses.

赤 is less common than 红 for 'red' but appears in formal or compound words, like 赤色 (red color) or 赤手空拳 (bare-handed). Culturally, 赤子 means 'newborn baby' or 'pure person', and it often carries a sense of sincerity or rawness.

Common words containing 赤 include: 赤脚 (chì jiǎo) — Barefoot; 赤道 (chì dào) — Equator; 赤字 (chì zì) — Deficit / In the red.